bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Practitioner Review: Treatment of Schizophrenia in Childhood and Adolescence
Authors: Clark Andrew F. , Lewis Shôn W.
Published: August 2003

This paper reviews the management of schizophrenia occurring during childhood and adolescence. It considers the clinical features of the disorder particular to its early onset before providing a practical framework for assessment and treatment based upon a critical review of the available literature. A multi‐modal approach to treatment encompassing the individual and their family is adopted with the roles of pharmacological, psychological, and environmental interventions all considered. The place of the newer “atypical” antipsychotic agents and the likelihood that they will soon become the first‐line drugs of choice is particularly discussed.
Children's Adjustment and Prosocial Behaviour in Step‐, Single‐parent, and Non‐stepfamily Settings: Findings from a Community Study
Authors: Dunn Judy , Deater‐Deckard Kirby , Pickering Kevin , O'Connor Thomas G. , Golding Jean
Published: August 2003

The adjustment and prosocial behaviour of 4‐year‐old children and their older siblings growing up in step‐parent or single‐parent families, or with two biological parents, was investigated within a longitudinal community study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC). Mean differences in mothers' perception of adjustment were found for children in different family settings, with higher levels of problems and lower prosocial scores reported for those in single‐ and step‐parent families than those in non‐stepfamilies. Individual differences within each family setting were marked. With the exception of single parenthood, which remained a risk indicator for the 4‐year‐olds, the contribution of family type to differences in adjustment and prosocial behaviour largely disappeared when account was also taken of negativity in family relationships, maternal age, education level, depressive symptomatology, and history of previous live‐in relationships, mothers' support networks, and the family's current financial and housing circumstances. Boys remained more at risk for adjustment difficulties than girls when this range of factors was taken into account. The limitations and implications of these findings on a community sample, a first step in a programme of research into family processes in children's adjustment, are discussed.
Early Conduct Problems and Later Life Opportunities
Authors: Fergusson David M. , Horwood L. John
Published: August 2003

Associations between the extent of conduct problems at age 8 years and later life opportunity outcomes at age 18 years were examined in a birth cohort of New Zealand children studied prospectively to age 18 years. Conduct problems at age 8 were assessed using a combination of parent and teacher reports of conduct disordered and oppositional behaviours. Two measures of life opportunities were assessed at age 18: (a) whether the young person had left school by age 18 without educational qualifications; (b) whether the young person had experienced a period of unemployment of 3 months or longer following school leaving. The analysis suggested the following conclusions: (1) There were clear and significant (p < .0001) tendencies for increasing levels of conduct problems at age 8 to be associated with increasing risks of leaving school without qualifications and of unemployment by age 18. (2) A substantial component of these associations was explained by a series of confounding social, family, and individual factors (notably child intelligence, early attentional problems, and family sociodemographic disadvantage) that were associated with both early conduct problems and later life opportunities. (3) Further analysis suggested that linkages between early conduct problems and later educational underattainment and unemployment (after adjustment for confounders) were mediated by a series of adolescent behavioural processes including patterns of peer affiliations, substance use, truancy, and problems with school authority.
Inhibitory Deficits in Tourette Syndrome: A Function of Comorbidity and Symptom Severity
Authors: Ozonoff Sally , Strayer David L. , McMahon William M. , Filloux Francis
Published: August 2003

This study examined central inhibitory function in children with Tourette syndrome (TS; N= 46) and normally developing controls (N= 22) matched on age, gender, and IQ. A negative priming task measured the ability to inhibit processing of irrelevant distractor stimuli presented on a visual display. Initial analyses indicated that participants with Tourette syndrome did not differ significantly in inhibitory function from controls. However, when the large Tourette syndrome sample was separated into subgroups, one without evidence of comorbidity (N= 23) and the other meeting research criteria for either AD/HD, OCD, or both (N= 23), it became evident that individuals with Tourette syndrome with comorbid conditions tended to perform less well than the control group, whereas those without comorbidity performed much like controls. Similarly, when the large Tourette syndrome sample was divided into two subgroups on the basis of severity of symptomatology (N= 23 in each), those with more numerous and severe symptoms of Tourette syndrome, AD/HD, and OCD performed significantly less well than both controls and Tourette syndrome subjects with fewer and less severe symptoms. This suggests that neuropsychological impairment occurs as a function of comorbidity and symptom severity in Tourette syndrome. It also suggests that categorical diagnoses alone may be less useful than dimensional methods for predicting cognitive impairment in individuals with Tourette syndrome.
The Use of Nonword Repetition as a Test of Phonological Memory in Children with Down Syndrome
Authors: Laws Glynis
Published: August 2003

Recent research suggests a significant relationship between verbal short‐term memory and normal language development. Although poor short‐term memory and impaired language are features of Down syndrome there has been little investigation of the relationship between these functions in this population, and no studies have included the nonword repetition test devised by Gathercole and Baddeley on which much of the evidence from normal development is based. This study reports the use of nonword repetition with 33 children and teenagers with Down syndrome aged from 5 to 18 years, and investigates the relationship between this test and other memory and language measures. Word repetition was included as an indirect control for the perceptual and speech impairments often associated with this group. Words were repeated significantly more successfully than nonwords and both these tasks were sensitive to word length. Nonword repetition was significantly correlated with age, and when age and nonverbal cognitive ability were controlled, nonword repetition was significantly correlated with all other language‐based memory measures, i.e. auditory digit span, word span, sentence repetition, and fluency, and also with memory for a sequence of hand movements, but not with memory for faces or a visual digit span task. There was also a significant relationship between nonword repetition and receptive vocabulary, language comprehension, and reading. When performance on the word repetition task was controlled in addition to age and nonverbal ability, significant correlations between nonword repetition and word span, sentence memory, hand movements, language comprehension, and reading remained. Fewer relationships between auditory digit span and these other measures were established; in particular, there was no association between digit span and the language and reading measures. Results suggest that nonword repetition is a reliable measure of phonological memory in Down syndrome and can predict language comprehension and reading ability.
Blink Rate in Pediatric Complex Partial Seizure Disorder
Authors: Caplan Rochelle , Guthrie Donald , Komo Scott , Shields W. Donald
Published: August 2003

This study examined spontaneous blink rate, a putative measure of dopamine function, in 30 children with complex partial epilepsy and 61 normal children. The children with epilepsy had significantly lower blink rates than the normal children in a conversation and a verbal recall task, particularly if they had a schizophrenia‐like psychosis, EEG evidence for left focal epileptic activity, illogical thinking, discourse deficits, and distractibility. They modulated their blink rates across a listening, a conversation, and a verbal recall task like the normal children. Given previously reported low blink rates in schizophrenic children, these findings suggest that children with complex partial epilepsy or schizophrenia might have similar biological features.
Life Events and Depressive Symptoms in Childhood—Shared Genes or Shared Adversity? A Research Note
Authors: Thapar Anita , Harold Gordon , McGuffin Peter
Published: August 2003

A twin study design was used to examine to what extent genetic and environmental factors mediate the association between life events and depressive symptoms. Questionnaire measures (maternally rated) of depressive symptoms and life events were obtained for a systematically ascertained sample of 270 twin pairs aged 8 to 17 years. Bivariate genetic model fitting showed that depressive symptoms and some life events (total events, negative impact) share a common genetic influence. The covariation of independent life events and depressive symptoms was explained by a shared environmental influence common to both. At least part of the association between life events and depressive symptoms is mediated by familial factors that include both genes and shared environment.
Genetics and Child Psychiatry: II Empirical Research Findings
Authors: Rutter Michael , Silberg Judy , O'Connor Thomas , Simonoff Emily
Published: August 2003

Key substantive findings from quantitative and molecular genetic research are reviewed in relation to affective disorder, schizophrenia, autism, hyperkinetic/attention deficit disorder, oppositional and conduct disorders, drug/alcohol problems, and Tourette's syndrome/chronic tics.
Comorbidity
Authors: Angold Adrian , Costello E. Jane , Erkanli Alaattin
Published: August 2003

We review recent research on the prevalence, causes, and effects of diagnostic comorbidity among the most common groups of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders; anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, oppositional defiant and conduct disorders, and substance abuse. A meta‐analysis of representative general population studies provides estimates of the strength of associations between pairs of disorders with narrower confidence intervals than have previously been available. Current evidence convincingly eliminates methodological factors as a major cause of comorbidity. We review the implications of comorbidity for understanding the development of psychopathology and for nosology.
The Treatment of the Long‐term Sequelae of Child Abuse
Authors: Stevenson Jim
Published: August 2003

The literature on the long‐term sequelae of sexual and physical abuse is reviewed. Abused children are at risk of long‐term adverse psychological sequelae related to the abuse per se and not just as a consequence of other associated background factors. There is some specificity relating the type of psychological outcome to the type of abuse experienced. Physical abuse is just as traumagenic as sexual abuse in the long‐term. Whatever the efficacy of specific psychological treatments, there are broad general service measures that will prevent both abuse and re‐abuse and therefore impact on long‐term sequelae. The studies on the effectiveness of intervention to prevent psychological sequelae of abuse are systematically appraised. There are few well‐conducted and adequately controlled studies of the efficacy of treatment for abused children. Where a corpus of studies does exist, e.g. group therapy for sexually abused children, treatment for abused children appears to be as effective for children whose problems arise from other causes. Studies have also shown that abusive parenting can be changed by training.
Neuroimaging in the Developmental Disorders: The State of the Science
Authors: Filipek Pauline A.
Published: August 2003

The developmental disorders of childhood—autistic, developmental language, reading (dyslexia), and attention deficit‐hyperactivity disorders—manifest with deficits in the traditional behavioral domains of cognition, language, visual‐spatial function, attention, and socialization. However, none of these disorders has been associated with characteristic discrete focal lesions or recognized encephaloclastic processes. Developmental cognitive neuroscientists must therefore begin with the spectrum of sometimes divergent behaviors occurring within these disorders and work backward in an attempt to identify the responsible anomalous neural systems. Since the advent of “brain imaging” two decades ago, much effort has focused on identifying brain‐behavior correlates in these disorders. The results of these neuropathologic, structural, and functional neuroimaging studies are presented and the reasons for the often divergent findings are discussed. As we approach the end of the Decade of the Brain, current neuroimaging techniques give us the technology for the first time to apply a fundamental cognitive approach to brain‐behavior relationships in the developmental disorders, to eliminate the conglomeration of “apples and camels” phenomenon. Researchers are working together to create comparable protocols and to adhere to methods that can be replicated across sites. The future prospects for a greater understanding of the developmental disorders are now much brighter with neuroimaging technology.
The Adjustment of Children with Divorced Parents: A Risk and Resiliency Perspective
Authors: Hetherington E. Mavis , Stanley‐Hagan Margaret
Published: August 2003

This review addresses major questions about divorce, around which much contemporary research is oriented. These involve questions of the consequences of divorce for the adjustment of children and the vulnerability and resiliency of children in coping with divorce, whether children are better off in a conflictual intact family situation or a divorced family, and how mothers, fathers, and clinical or educational interventions can moderate the effects of divorce. Although research in the past decade has yielded considerable information about these questions, issues that need further investigation are also presented.
Practitioner Review: The Assessment and Treatment of Deaf Children with Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: Roberts Christopher , Hindley Peter
Published: August 2003

The assessment and treatment of deaf children with psychiatric disorder is intimately related to the individual child's communication, which in turn is affected by a number of factors, medical, social, and cultural. The deafness can be aetiologically related to the psychiatric disorder or can be incidental. Treatment strategies should be adapted to meet the individual child and familya's needs. Deaf professionals have a vital role in mental health services for this population. The use of an interpreter can clarify communication and cultural issues for deaf and hearing children, families, and professionals.
The Emanuel Miller Memorial Lecture 1998: Autism: Two‐way Interplay between Research and Clinical Work
Authors: Rutter Michael
Published: August 2003

The two‐way interplay between research and clinical practice in relation to autism is reviewed with respect to: (1) diagnosis and syndrome delineation; (2) the nature of the disorder; (3) intervention studies; and (4) aetiology, as manifest during four time periods; (a) the 1950s and 1960s; (b) the 1970s into the mid 1980s; (c) the late 1980s and early 1990s; and (d) the late 1990s. It is concluded that clinical practice has changed out of all recognition during the last 50 years and that research findings have been crucial in bringing about that change. It has not, however, been a one‐way traffic. Many key advances were prompted by astute clinical observations and some extravagant research claims were given a more balanced perspective through the light of clinical experience. Crucial research and clinical tasks remain but the means to meet them are there if the opportunities are taken and attention is paid to the lessons of the past.
Generating Novel Ideas: Fluency Performance in High‐functioning and Learning Disabled Individuals with Autism
Authors: Turner Michelle A.
Published: August 2003

Tasks of fluency tap the ability to generate multiple responses spontaneously following a single cue or instruction. The present study compared the fluency performance of subjects with autism and clinical control subjects at two diffierent levels of ability (high‐functioning subjects with a verbal IQ of 76 or greater, and globally learning disabled subjects with a verbal IQ of 74 or below). A battery of tasks was employed to assess subjects' word fluency (for letters and semantic categories), ideational fluency (for uses of objects and interpretations of meaningless line drawings), and design fluency (for abstract meaningless designs). Subjects with autism showed reduced fluency for both the word and ideational fluency tasks, generating significantly fewer responses than the clinical control subjects.Results were particularly striking for the ideational fluency tasks. On these tasks, autistic subjects produced very low response totals, with the performance of the high‐functioning subjects with autism equivalent to that of the learning disabled subjects with autism and significantly inferior to that of the learning disabled control individuals. In contrast, the results of the design fluency paradigm paint a different picture. This paradigm revealed no significant difference in the quantity of designs generated by the subjects with autism and the control subjects but a clear qualitative difference, with the autistic group producing significantly higher rates of disallowed and perseverative responses. Whilst the results of the word and ideational fluency tasks are suggested to support the hypothesis that individuals with autism are impaired in the generation of novel responses and behaviour, the results of the design fluency task are equally consistent with an impairment in the regulation of behaviour through inhibition and/or monitoring. The implications of these findings for the study of executive function abilities in autism are discussed.
Perceptual Processing among High‐functioning Persons with Autism
Authors: Mottron Laurent , Burack Jacob A. , Stauder Johannes E. A. , Robaey Philippe
Published: August 2003

Two tasks were used to assess the processing of whole versus parts of objects in a group of high‐functioning children and adolescents with autism (N = 11) and a comparison group of typically developing peers (N = 11) matched for chronological age and IQ. In the first task, only the children with autism showed a global advantage, and the two groups showed similar interference between levels. In the second task, the children with autism, despite longer RTs, showed similar performance to the comparison group with regard to the effect of goodness on visual parsing. Contrary to expectations based on the central coherence and hierarchisation deficit theories, these findings indicate intact holistic processing among persons with autism. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to apparently discrepant evidence from other studies.
The Prevalence of Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome in Children and Adolescents with Autism
Authors: Baron‐Cohen Simon , Mortimore Catherine , Moriarty John , Izaguirre Jon , Robertson Mary
Published: August 2003

Thirty‐seven pupils attending a special school for children and adolescents with autism were observed for the presence of motor and vocal tics. Subsequent family interviews confirmed the diagnosis of comorbid Gilles de la Touretteapos;s Syndrome (GTS) in three children with autism, giving a minimum prevalence rate of 8.1%. Family history data also suggested this was heritable. The presence of GTS was not associated with superior intellectual, language, or social development. Results suggest that the rate of GTS in autism may exceed that expected by chance. The limited sample size constrains this conclusion. A large‐scale epidemiological study testing this association study would appear merited.
Can Autism Be Diagnosed Accurately in Children Under 3 Years?
Authors: Stone Wendy L. , Lee Evon B. , Ashford Linda , Brissie Jane , Hepburn Susan L. , Coonrod Elaine E. , Weiss Bahr H.
Published: August 2003

This study investigated the reliability and stability of an autism diagnosis in children under 3 years of age who received independent diagnostic evaluations from two clinicians during two consecutive yearly evaluations. Strong evidence for the reliability and stability of the diagnosis was obtained. Diagnostic agreement between clinicians was higher for the broader discrimination of autism spectrum vs. no autism spectrum than for the more specific discrimination of autism vs. PDD‐NOS. The diagnosis of autism at age 2 was more stable than the diagnosis of PDD‐NOS at the same age. Social deficits and delays in spoken language were the most prominent DSM‐IV characteristics evidenced by very young children with autism.
Adolescent Depression: Social Network and Family Climate—A Case‐control Study
Authors: Olsson Gunilla I. , Nordström Marie‐Louise , Arinell Hans , Von Knorring Anne‐Liis
Published: August 2003

In a study of a total high‐school population, 2300 students aged 16–17 years were screened for depression (BDI, CES‐DC). Those with a self‐evaluation indicating depression, together with controls matched for sex, age, and class were interviewed (DICA‐R‐A). The 177 pairs, where both individuals were interviewed and the control had no lifetime diagnosis of depression, were analysed in the form of paired differences for psychosocial factors and compared within diagnostic groups. The psychosocial factors were measured with the ISSI subscales and six attitude questions about family climate (KSP). Adolescents with an episode of major depression during part of the last year did not differ from their controls. Those with long‐lasting depressive symptoms, i.e. dysthymia with or without episodes of major depression, had a more limited social interaction and were not satisfied with it. They also evaluated their family climate and attachment network as being more inadequate than did their controls. Depressed adolescents with comorbid conduct disorder had a more negative evaluation of availability and adequacy of both social interaction and attachment network than their controls. This group had a very negative view of their family climate. Since this is a case‐control study conclusions cannot be drawn about cause and effect.
The Role of Maternal Cognitions in Infant Sleep Problems as Assessed by a New Instrument, the Maternal Cognitions about Infant Sleep Questionnaire
Authors: Morrell Julian M. B.
Published: August 2003

Sleeping problems in young children are very common, affecting up to 20% of 1‐year‐olds. Behaviour therapy is the most widely recognised treatment but a significant proportion of parents find it aversive. This suggests that parental cognitions may be important and underevaluated. The aims of this study were therefore fourfold: (1) to describe the development of a new tool to measure maternal cognitions in relation to infant sleeping problems, the Maternal Cognitions about Infant Sleep Questionnaire (MCISQ); (2) to assess the psychometric properties of the MCISQ; (3) to test the hypothesis that maternal cognitions will be associated with, and specific to, infant sleep problems; and (4) to discuss the implications of the findings with respect to aetiological models of infant sleep problems, treatment, and future research. Results showed that maternal cognitions about setting limits, anger at the infant's demands, and doubts about parenting competence were significantly associated with infant sleep problems, whereas cognitions about infant hunger or cot death were not. It is hypothesised that these cognitive responses, if extreme, may disrupt sensitive parent‐child interactions, which over time could lead to impairments in the development of infant self‐regulation.
Psychosocial Adversities Underestimated in Hyperkinetic Children
Authors: Overmeyer S. , Taylor E. , Blanz B. , Schmidt M. H.
Published: August 2003

Abnormal psychosocial factors, assessed both clinically and by raters blind to clinical presentation, were examined in 21 hyperkinetic and 26 conduct disordered children. Blind raters found the frequency of psychosocial adversities to be similar in the two disorders. By contrast the clinical rater, who did know the diagnosis of patients, rated adverse psychosocial situations as much lower in hyperkinetic children than in children with conduct disorder. Logistic regression showed, particularly in the category of abnormal intrafamilial relationships (Lack of warmth in parent child relationship, Hostility or scapegoating of the child, Intrafamilial discord among adults), effects of the interaction between rater and knowledge of diagnosis. Clinical raters should be aware of abnormal psychosocial situations in hyperkinetic children and assess possible adverse effects on parents and children. Researchers should be aware of a possible bias in research interviews.
DSM‐IV AD/HD: Confirmatory Factor Models, Prevalence, and Gender and Age Differences Based on Parent and Teacher Ratings of Australian Primary School Children
Authors: Gomez R. , Harvey J. , Quick C. , Scharer I. , Harris G.
Published: August 2003

Based on parent and teacher ratings of primary school children on a scale comprising the 18 DSM‐IV AD/HD symptoms, this study used confirmatory factor analysis to compare three models: all items in one factor; inattention in one and hyperactivity and impulsivity items in a separate factor; and inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity items in three separate factors. It also examined the prevalence rates of the three AD/HD Types, and gender and age differences. Results supported both the two‐ and three‐factor models, with the three‐factor model only slightly better than the two‐factor model. Based on parent‐teacher agreement, the prevalence rates were 1.6, 0.2 and 0.6% for the Inattentive, Hyperactive‐Impulsive, and Combined Types, respectively. Overall, the male to female ratio was 5: 1, and boys were rated higher than girls by both parents and teachers. Age differences were minimal. The implications of the findings in relation to some of the assumptions made in DSM‐IV for AD/HD are discussed.
Effortful and Automatic Information Processing in Boys with ADHD and Specific Learning Disorders
Authors: Hazell Philip L. , Carr Vaughan J. , Lewin Terry J. , Dewis Sally A. M. , Heathcote Diane M. , Brucki Belinda M.
Published: August 2003

Boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, N = 50), Specific Learning Disorder (LD, N = 45), combined Specific Learning Disorder and ADHD (LD/ADHD, N = 25), and controls (N = 51) completed effortful and automatic information processing tasks based on Treisman and Gelade's (1980) “information integration theory”. ADHD and LD/ADHD subjects did not differ from controls at baseline or under feedback and reward conditions, suggesting that they were investing similar levels of mental effort in the tasks. The LD group had a superior performance in the effortful task and an inferior performance in the automatic task compared with the other groups at baseline. The data suggest a potential method of distinguishing primary LD from learning difficulties that occur secondary to ADHD.
On Diagnosing Rare Disorders Rarely: Appropriate Use of Screening Instruments
Authors: Clark Andrew , Harrington Richard
Published: August 2003

The main aim of this study was to determine whether child mental health professionals who regularly use questionnaires to screen for mental disorders know that these questionnaires have a low predictive value when the base rate of a disorder is low. The study was based on a representative sample of professionals who used questionnaires regularly to screen for mental disorders. They were set a problem in which a clinic sample was screened with a questionnaire that, at a certain cut‐point, had 80% sensitivity and 80% specificity, and in which the true base rate of disorder was 10%. Only 10% (5/48) of respondents answered correctly that just 30% of individuals who scored above this cut‐point would actually have the disorder and more than half of respondents believed that 80% would have the disorder. Both users and designers of questionnaires need to be more aware of and explicit about their drawbacks as screens for mental disorders.
The Effect of Methylphenidate and Clonidine on Response Inhibition and State Regulation in Children with ADHD
Authors: Van Der Meere Jaap , Gunning Boudewijn , Stemerdink Nanke
Published: August 2003

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) and clonidine in comparison with placebo on response inhibition and state regulation in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The study utilised a double‐blind crossover design in which children were randomly assigned without replacement to placebo, MPH, and clonidine following baseline assessment. The primary dependent measures were derived from children's performance (reaction time and errors) on a GO‐NO GO task under three conditions that altered the inter‐stimulus interval (ISI) for presented GO‐NO GO stimuli: ISI of 1 sec (fast condition), 4 sec (medium condition), and 8 sec (slow condition). Findings indicated no difference in task performance between groups treated for 7 weeks with placebo, MPH, and clonidine. We concluded that the state regulation problem in ADHD is resistant to MPH and clonidine.
The Psychological Development of Children from Belarus Exposed in the Prenatal Period to Radiation from the Chernobyl Atomic Power Plant
Authors: Kolominsky Y. , Igumnov S. , Drozdovitch V.
Published: August 2003

This study examined psychological development in 138 children at the age of 6–7 and 10–11 years, who had suffered prenatal radiation exposure at the time of the Chernobyl accident in 1986. These children were compared to a control group of 122 children of the same age from noncontaminated areas of Belarus. The examination included neurological and psychiatric examination, intellectual assessment, and clinical psychological investigation of parents as well as the estimation of thyroid exposure in utero. The exposed group manifested a relative increase in psychological impairment compared with the control group, with increased prevalence in cases of specific developmental speech‐language disorders (18.1% vs. 8.2% at 6–7 years; 10.1% vs. 3.3% at 10–11 years) and emotional disorders (20.3% vs. 7.4% at 6–7 years; 18.1% vs. 7.4% at 10–11 years). The mean IQ of the exposed group was lower than that of the control group, and there were more cases of borderline IQ (IQ = 70–79) (15.9% vs. 5.7% at 6–7 years; and 10.1% vs. 3.3% at 10–11 years). The mean value of thyroid doses from 131 I 0.4 Gy was estimated for children exposed in utero. No correlation was found between individual thyroid doses and IQ at age 6–7 years or 10–11 years. We notice a positive moderate correlation between IQ of children and the educational level of their parents. There was a moderate correlation between high personal anxiety in parents and emotional disorders in children. We conclude that a significant role in the genesis of borderline intellectual functioning, specific developmental disorders of speech, language and scholastic skills, as well as emotional disorders in the exposed group of children was played by unfavourable social‐psychological and social‐cultural factors such as a low educational level of parents, the break of microsocial contacts, and adaptational dificulties, which appear following the evacuation and relocation from the contaminated areas.
Critical Notice
Authors: Hartup Willard
Published: August 2003

Book reviewed in this article:

R. A. Hinde, Relationships: A Dialectical Perspective
Mental rotation delays the heart beat: Probing the central processing bottleneck
Authors: Jennings J. Richard , Van Der Molen Maurits W. , Debski Kay
Published: August 2003

We tested the hypothesis that mental rotation would delay response‐related processing as indicated by transient slowing of the heart beat. Thirty college‐age subjects (half female) were presented with normal and mirror image letters rotated at 0, 60, 120, and 180°. Three letters were assigned to a right‐hand response; a separate three to a left‐hand response. Responses were only required for letters in one orientation, mirror or normal. Continuous measures of interbeat interval (IBI) of the heart, respiration, and muscle tension were collected. Performance results were largely consistent with prior findings. Greater angular displacement of the stimuli was associated with greater lengthening of IBI immediately after the stimulus. IBI was influenced equally by angle of rotation in respond and inhibit trials. The lengthening of IBI was interpreted as due to a delay in response selection and execution due to mental rotation.
Correspondence between laboratory and ambulatory measures of cardiovascular reactivity: A multilevel modeling approach
Authors: Kamarck Thomas W. , Schwartz Joseph E. , Janicki Denise L. , Shiffman Saul , Raynor Douglas A.
Published: August 2003

We examined the correspondence between laboratory measures of cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) andwithin‐personchanges in cardiovascular activity during the challenges of daily life, after adjustment for posture, activity, and other effects. Healthy adults (n=335) were administered laboratory measures of CVR along with 6 days of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and electronic diary reports. Compared with low reactors, high laboratory systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactors showed larger increases in SBP during periods of high task demand or low decisional control in daily life. High diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reactors showed larger increases in ambulatory DBP during situations rated as both low control and high demand. This multilevel modeling approach may enhance our ability to detect the correspondence between laboratory and ambulatory measures of CVR, and to identify the circumstances under which it may be most clearly observed.
Meta‐analysis of P300 and schizophrenia: Patients, paradigms, and practical implications
Authors: Jeon Yang‐Whan , Polich John
Published: August 2003

The goal of the present meta‐analysis was to identify factors that contribute to P300 event‐related brain potential (ERP) differences in patients with schizophrenia compared to unaffected controls in an attempt to characterize the clinically relevant dimensions underlying P300 deficits in patients with schizophrenia. P300 effect size (d) was smaller in amplitude and longer in latency in schizophrenic patients compared to normal controls, with the strongest effects obtained from the auditory oddball. Paranoid subtype demonstrated larger P300 amplitude effect sizes than other disease subtypes, and P300 latency effect size decreased with disease duration. Psychopathology severity and antipsychotic medications were unrelated to P300 amplitude effect size. Gender proportion, educational level, and stimulus and task variables also affected P300 amplitude and latency effect sizes. The findings are used to formulate a theoretical account of the empirical data and provide suggestions for maximizing the utility of the P300 component in the assessment of schizophrenia.
Event‐related potential correlates of impaired visuospatial working memory in schizophrenia
Authors: Cameron Allison M. , Geffen Gina M. , Kavanagh David J. , Wright Margie J. , McGrath John J. , Geffen Laurie B.
Published: August 2003

Previous studies have reported that patients with schizophrenia demonstrate impaired performance during working memory (WM) tasks. The current study aimed to determine whether WM impairments in schizophrenia are accompanied by reduced slow wave (SW) activity during on‐line maintenance of mnemonic information. Event‐related potentials were obtained from patients with schizophrenia and well controls as they performed a visuospatial delayed response task. On 50% of trials, a distractor stimulus was introduced during the delay. Compared with controls, patients with schizophrenia produced less SW memory negativity, particularly over the right hemisphere, together with reduced frontal enhancement of SW memory negativity in response to distraction. The results indicate that patients with schizophrenia generate less maintenance phase neuronal activity during WM performance, especially under conditions of distraction.
Heart rate variability in acute psychosis
Authors: Valkonen‐Korhonen Minna , Tarvainen Mika P. , Ranta‐Aho Perttu , Karjalainen Pasi A. , Partanen Juhani , Karhu Jari , Lehtonen Johannes
Published: August 2003

Heart rate variability (HRV) provides reliable tools to assess the integrity and reactivity of autonomic nervous function. Our aim was to examine HRV in the resting condition and during different mental loads in acute psychosis compared to healthy controls. HRV was measured in 17 first‐episode drug‐naive patients with psychosis and 21 healthy controls during oddball tasks and while performing the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. A discrete event series was constructed by an adaptive QRS detector algorithm and power spectrum estimation was carried out. The RMSSD (representing interval differences of successive heartbeats) and the amount of high frequency (HF) power were significantly reduced in patients. Moreover, the patients' HRV remained unaltered during the tasks, whereas in controls the HRV diminished with increasing mental load of the task. Patients with psychosis displayed less short‐term HR reactivity than healthy controls. They also failed to adapt HRV according to the task‐connected strain. Acute psychosis is characterized by a limited capacity to respond to external demands at the level of autonomic nervous system.
Let's face the music: A behavioral and electrophysiological exploration of score reading
Authors: Gunter Thomas C. , Schmidt Björn‐Helmer , Besson Mireille
Published: August 2003

This experiment was carried out to determine whether reading diatonic violations in a musical score elicits similar endogenous ERP components when hearing such violations in the auditory modality. In the behavioral study, musicians were visually presented with 120 scores of familiar musical pieces, half of which contained a diatonic violation. The score was presented in a measure‐by‐measure manner. Self‐paced reading was significantly delayed for measures containing a violation, indicating that sight reading a violation requires additional effort. In the ERP study, the musical phrases were presented in a “RSVP”‐like manner. We predicted that diatonic violations would elicit a late positive component. However, the ERP associated with the measure where a violation was presented showed a negativity instead. The negativity started around 100 ms and lasted for the entire recording period. This long‐lasting negativity encompassed at least three distinct effects that were possibly related to violation detection, working memory processing, and a further integration/interpretation process.
Developmental differences in behavioral and event‐related brain responses associated with response preparation and inhibition in a go/nogo task
Authors: Jonkman L. M. , Lansbergen M. , Stauder J. E. A.
Published: August 2003

The present study investigated developmental trends in response inhibition and preparation by studying behavior and event‐related brain activity in a cued go/nogo task, administered to nine‐year‐old children and young adults. Hits, false alarms, inattention, and impulsivity scores and ERP measures of inhibition (fronto‐central nogo‐N2 and P3), target selection (parietal go‐nogo P3 difference), and response preparation (contingent negative variation; CNV) were collected. Higher false alarm and impulsivity scores and the absence of the fronto‐central nogo P3 all suggest a developmental lag in response inhibition in children. A developmental lag in sustained attention processes was suggested by worse target detection and larger parietal target/nontarget P3 effects in children. Cue orientation and response preparation processes were respectively measured by early and late CNV activity. Children displayed smaller early CNV amplitudes at fronto‐central locations, but mature late CNV. The smaller early CNV activity might indicate inefficient cue‐orientation processes caused by incomplete frontal lobe development.
Effects of artificial and natural baroreceptor stimulation on nociceptive responding and pain
Authors: Edwards Louisa , McIntyre David , Carroll Douglas , Ring Christopher , France Christopher R. , Martin Una
Published: August 2003

The arterial baroreflex may mediate hypertensive hypoalgesia. Carotid baroreceptors can be artificially stimulated by neck suction and inhibited by compression. Effects of brief neck suction and compression on nociceptive responding and pain were studied in 25 normotensive adults. The sural nerve was electrocutaneously stimulated at threshold intensity during systole or diastole combined with neck suction, neck compression, or no pressure. Nociceptive responding was indexed by electromyographic activity elicited in the biceps femoris. Participants rated the intensity of sural stimulation. Although artificial baroreceptor stimulation (suction) did not affect nociceptive responding, baroreceptor inhibition (compression) reduced pain ratings. In contrast, natural baroreceptor stimulation during systole reduced nociceptive responding compared to diastole, but did not affect pain ratings. The data provide partial support for baroreflex modulation of pain.
Early processing stages are modulated when auditory stimuli are presented at an attended moment in time: An event‐related potential study
Authors: LANGE Kathrin , Rösler Frank , Röder Brigitte
Published: August 2003

The present study investigated with event‐related potentials whether attending to a moment in time modulates the processing of auditory stimuli at a similar early, perceptual level as attending to a location in space. The participants listened to short (600 ms) and long (1,200 ms) intervals marked by white noise bursts. The task was to attend in alternating runs either to the short or to the long intervals and to respond to rare offset markers that differed in intensity from the frequent standard offset markers. Prior to the to‐be‐attended moment, a slow negative potential developed over the frontal scalp. Stimuli presented at the attended compared to the unattended moments in time elicited an enhanced N1 and an enhanced posteriorly distributed positivity (300–370 ms). The results show that attention can be flexibly controlled in time and that not only late but also early perceptual processing stages are modulated by attending to a moment in time.
Early posterior ERP components do not reflect the control of attentional shifts toward expected peripheral events
Authors: Velzen José van , Eimer Martin
Published: August 2003

Previous experiments investigating ERP correlates of anticipatory attention shifts triggered by central symbolic cues have identified a contralateral “early directing attention negativity,” which was assumed to be generated by processes involved in the control of spatial orienting. Here we demonstrate that this component is not directly linked to the control of attentional shifts, but instead reflects the selection of task‐relevant aspects of cue stimuli. In contrast, later ERP components triggered during covert attentional shifts are insensitive to physical cue attributes, and thus appear to be genuine electrophysiological correlates of covert attentional control mechanisms.
On the Intersection Between AD/HD and DCD: The DAMP Hypothesis
Authors: Sonuga‐Barke Edmund J. S.
Published: August 2003

The paper by Gillberg, ‘ADHD and DAMP’, provides an analysis of the scientific status of the concept of Deficits in Attention Motor Control and Perception (DAMP) in the light of the overlap between Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) and Developmental Co‐ordination Disorder (DCD), and the current uncertainty surrounding the significance of AD/HD – DCD co‐morbidity.
Research Leading to Action: A Study of Accessibility of a CAMH Service to Ethnic Minority Families
Authors: Messent Philip , Murrell Margaret
Published: August 2003

Background: This article describes an action research project aimed at examining the accessibility of a child and adolescent mental health service to its ethnic minority populations.

Method: A Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service was involved in a process of inquiry, deciding first to compare rate of referral and treatment outcomes for the four largest ethnic groups amongst the client population. Following discussion of findings throughout the service, groups of Bangladeshi service users and professionals were interviewed about low rates of referral amongst this community.

Results: By highlighting the different referral rates and profiles of different ethnic groups, the study elicited an increasingly shared commitment across the service to addressing issues of accessibility to ethnic minority communities.

Conclusions: The study is presented as one possible model of response to the challenge to all public services made by Macpherson (1999), to examine the ‘appropriateness’ of the service offered to different ethnic populations.
Characteristics of the Detained and Informal Child and Adolescent Psychiatric In‐Patient Populations
Authors: Mears Alex , White Richard , O'Herlihy Anne , Worrall Adrian , Banerjee Sube , Jaffa Tony , Hill Peter , Lelliott Paul
Published: August 2003

Background: This project surveyed the use of the Children Act and the Mental Health Act in in‐patient child and adolescent mental health services in England and Wales.

Methods: Data were collected as a day census from child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient units, questionnaire forms completed by consultant psychiatrists or key‐workers. Returns were received from 71 of the 80 units.

Results: One hundred and twenty‐seven of the 663 patients had been admitted formally, the great majority under a section of the Mental Health Act. Compared with those admitted informally, those admitted formally were older, contained a higher proportion of males and had ‘adult‐type diagnoses’, mainly schizophrenia, mood disorders and personality disorder. The clinical and psychosocial characteristics of formal and informal patients were consistent with these differences.

Conclusions: This study provides a timely and useful snapshot of the use of the Acts in this population.
The Social Qualities of Being on Foot: A Theoretical Analysis of Pedestrian Activity, Community, and Culture
Authors: Demerath Loren , Levinger David
Published: August 2003

This article presents a theoretical framework for explaining how pedestrian activity broadens people's access to cultural meaning‐making processes. A lack of vital pedestrian activity constitutes a social problem because of lost opportunities for social interaction. According to a theory of the micro‐level production of culture, “Epistemological Culture Theory,” collaborative self‐expression in the course of interaction with others is essential for developing shared meanings (i.e., culture), a sense of community, and a sense of security in what we know. A review of urban planning and environmental psychology research on pedestrian environments finds significant appreciation for conditions conducive to such collaborative self‐expression. This literature presents a highly developed environmental (or technological) determinist perspective. This article complements previous research by focusing on the cultural significance of being on foot. Four concepts are introduced to help enrich the discussion: “breadth of experience,”“pausability,”“identity expression,” and “collaborative creativity.” These concepts enable a better understanding of how pedestrian activity facilitates interaction. This exploration posits principles and raises questions about how these qualities may be sought out or even avoided in personal and cultural preferences regarding transportation and public life.