Language Predictors in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights from Neurodevelopmental Profile in a Longitudinal Perspective.
Abstract Language outcome in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is predicted by early developmental milestones and cognitive abilities. The development and acquisition of expressive language (particularly the onset of first phrases) is a relevant clinical milestone by school age, since its early presentation is associated to better long-term life outcomes and to lower core clinical severity of ASD. Focusing on predictors of language in ASD children, a number of outstanding questions remain to be answered, namely, whether there are differences in the early key neurodevelopmental abilities and w...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - August 12, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Mouga S, Correia BR, Café C, Duque F, Oliveira G Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Parent Emotion Socialization and Child Emotional Vulnerability as Predictors of Borderline Personality Features.
Abstract Although parent emotion socialization and child temperament are theorized to interact in the prediction of borderline personality disorder (BPD) features, few studies have directly examined these relationships. The present study examined whether parental emotion socialization interacted with behavioral ratings and physiological indicators of emotional vulnerability in the prediction of BPD features among preadolescent children. Participants were 125 children (10-12 years; 55% female) and their parents recruited from the community. Parents and children reported on children's BPD features and paren...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - August 6, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Dixon-Gordon KL, Marsh NP, Balda KE, McQuade JD Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Who Sets the Aggressive Popularity Norm in Classrooms? It's the Number and Strength of Aggressive, Prosocial, and Bi-Strategic Adolescents.
We examined whether the prevalence of six student types - socially and non-socially dominant prosocial, aggressive, and bi-strategic adolescents (adolescents who are both highly prosocial and aggressive) - contributed to the norm by establishing a popularity hierarchy: strong classroom asymmetries in popularity. We collected peer-nominated data at three secondary schools in the Netherlands (SNARE-study; Nstudents = 2843; Nclassrooms = 120; 51.4% girls; Mage = 13.2). Classroom-level regression analyses suggest that the classroom percentage of socially dominant aggressive and bi-strategic students predicted highe...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - July 19, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Laninga-Wijnen L, Harakeh Z, Dijkstra JK, Veenstra R, Vollebergh W Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Childhood Emotional and Conduct Problems in Childhood and Adolescence Differentially Associated with Intergenerational Maltreatment Continuity and Parental Internalizing Symptoms.
Abstract Caregivers' own childhood maltreatment experiences potentiate the risk for psychopathology and perpetration of maltreatment against one's children. In turn, both of these factors may negatively impact children's mental health. The nature of these intergenerational patterns of maltreatment may vary as a function of type of child outcome and may also be influenced by child age and sample characteristics (i.e., involvement of Child Protection Services, CPS). The present study uses a Structural Equational Model to examine cross-sectional relationships between caregiver maltreatment experiences in chil...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - July 15, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Sierau S, Warmingham J, White LO, Klein AM, von Klitzing K Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

The Impact of Treatment Expectations on Exposure Process and Treatment Outcome in Childhood Anxiety Disorders.
This study examined the relationship between caregivers' and youths' treatment expectations and characteristics of exposure tasks (quantity, mastery, compliance) in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for childhood anxiety. Additionally, compliance with exposure tasks was tested as a mediator of the relationship between treatment expectations and symptom improvement. Data were from youth (N = 279; 7-17 years old) enrolled in the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS) and randomized to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or the combination of CBT and sertraline for the treatment of separation anxiety disorder, ...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - July 15, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Wu MS, Caporino NE, Peris TS, Pérez J, Thamrin H, Albano AM, Kendall PC, Walkup JT, Birmaher B, Compton SN, Piacentini J Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Reinforcement Contingency Learning in Children with ADHD: Back to the Basics of Behavior Therapy.
Abstract Reinforcement deficits in ADHD may affect basic operant learning processes relevant for Behavioral Treatment. Behavior acquired under partial reinforcement extinguishes less readily after the discontinuation of reinforcement than behavior acquired under continuous reinforcement, a phenomenon known as the Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect [PREE], which has great relevance for the emergence of behavioral persistence. The present study examined acquisition and extinction of operant responding under partial and continuous reinforcement in children with and without ADHD. In addition, we evaluated...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - July 10, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: De Meyer H, Beckers T, Tripp G, van der Oord S Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Depression and ADHD-Related Risk for Substance Use in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: Concurrent and Prospective Associations in the MTA.
Abstract Childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is prospectively linked to substance use and disorder. Depression emerging in adolescence is an understudied risk factor that may explain some of this risk. In the present study, we considered mediating and moderating roles of adolescent depression in explaining this association by using longitudinal data from the prospective 16-year follow-up of the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD (MTA). Participants were 547 children diagnosed with DSM-IV ADHD Combined Type, and 258 age- and sex-matched comparison children. In adolescence, depressive s...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - July 4, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Howard AL, Kennedy TM, Macdonald EP, Mitchell JT, Sibley MH, Roy A, Arnold LE, Epstein JN, Hinshaw SP, Hoza B, Stehli A, Swanson JM, Molina BSG Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Too Much Too Soon?: Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms and Romantic Relationships in Adolescent Girls.
Abstract Despite the centrality of adult romantic relationships to the conceptualization of borderline personality disorder (BPD), little is known about the earlier development of this interdependency during adolescence. Thus, we examined the co-development of romantic relationships and BPD symptoms from ages 15 to 19 in a large urban sample of girls (N = 2310) in the Pittsburgh Girls Study. We had two major aims. First, we sought to examine associations between BPD symptoms and romantic relationship involvement (number of partners, importance of relationship) and relational insecurity (concerns about ...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - June 25, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Lazarus SA, Choukas-Bradley S, Beeney JE, Byrd AL, Vine V, Stepp SD Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Distinct Empathy Profiles in Callous Unemotional and Autistic Traits: Investigating Unique and Interactive Associations with Affective and Cognitive Empathy.
Abstract Empathy deficits are a hallmark of both callous-unemotional (CU) and autistic traits. However, it is unclear whether each trait is associated with deficits in distinct empathy subcomponents. The aim of the current study was to investigate the main and interactive effects of CU and autistic traits in predicting affective and cognitive empathy. We used data of 163 children (Mage = 7.30, SD = 1.42, 44.2% girls), selected from a large community sample (N = 1652). To ensure variability in empathy, we recruited participants with either low (1 standard-deviation below the mean; n = 78) or...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - June 21, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Georgiou G, Demetriou CA, Fanti KA Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Peer Socialization of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents' Close Friendships.
Abstract Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), or self-harming behavior without intent to die (Nock Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18, 78-83, 2009), is associated with distress and impairment across domains, including increased risk for suicidality (Kiekens et al. Journal of Affective Disorders, 239, 171-179, 2018). In adolescence, prevalence of NSSI is high (Swannell et al. Suicide and Life-threatening Behavior, 44, 273-303, 2014), and peer influence regarding NSSI is thought to be strong (Brechwald and Prinstein Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 166-79, 2011). Although concern regarding "c...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - June 17, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Schwartz-Mette RA, Lawrence HR Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Parents' Personality-Disorder Symptoms Predict Children's Symptoms of Anxiety and Depressive Disorders - a Prospective Cohort Study.
Abstract Personality disorder (PD) symptomatology is characterized by interpersonal problems and emotional dysregulation, which may affect offspring of parents with PD symptoms. Notably though, studies are needed to discern (i) whether parental PDs forecast symptoms of psychiatric disorders in offspring during their childhood years and (ii) whether such prospective relations obtain after accounting for common causes (e.g., genetics, common methods). To address these issues, we followed up a community sample of Norwegian children biennially from ages 4 to 8 (n = 594), using a semi-structured psychiatric...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - June 12, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Steinsbekk S, Berg-Nielsen TS, Belsky J, Helland EB, Hågenrud M, Raballo A, Wichstrøm L Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Observed Personality in Preschool: Associations with Current and Longitudinal Symptoms.
Abstract Personality is consistently associated with psychopathology across the lifespan. However, little is known of how observed personality dimensions in preschoolers are associated with concurrent or longitudinal symptoms across development. Spectrum, vulnerability, and pathopolasty models theorize how child personality and psychopathology are related across development. The current study tests these three models using observationally coded personality dimensions in a longitudinal sample of preschoolers. A validated 'thin slice' technique was used to code observed Five Factor Model (FFM) personality di...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - June 12, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Gilbert KE, Whalen DJ, Tillman R, Barch DM, Luby JL, Jackson JJ Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Marital and Parent-Child Relationships during Treatment for Adolescent Depression: Child-Driven and Bidirectional Effects.
This study evaluated how treating adolescent depression affects marital and parent-child relationships. We examined whether marital adjustment and parent-child conflict improved over the course of active treatment of depressed adolescents (36-week visit) and long-term follow-up (one year after discontinuation of treatment) in a sample of 322 clinically depressed youth participating in the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). We also explored the bidirectional influences of adolescent depression and family relationships. Results indicated that marital adjustment was stable during active treatment but decl...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - June 5, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Howard KR, Reinecke MA, Lavigne JV, Gouze KR, Jordan N Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

The Dimensionality of Proposed DSM-5 PTSD Symptoms in Trauma-Exposed Young Children.
This study utilized confirmatory factor analytic techniques to evaluate the proposed DSM-5 PTSD-6Y factor structure and criterion and convergent validity against competing models. Data for N = 284 (3-6 years) trauma-exposed young children living in New Orleans were recruited following a range of traumas, including medical emergencies, exposure to Hurricane Katrina and repeated exposure to domestic violence. The model was compared to DSM-IV, a 4-factor 'dysphoria' model that groups symptoms also associated with anxiety and depression, and alternate 1- and 2- factor models. Convergent validity was established against th...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - June 5, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: McKinnon A, Scheeringa MS, Meiser-Stedman R, Watson P, De Young A, Dalgleish T Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research

Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder in Early Childhood Predicts Reduced Competence in Early Adolescence.
Abstract Psychosocial deprivation is associated with the development of socially aberrant behaviors, including signs of disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED). In longitudinal studies, signs of DSED have been shown to decrease over time, especially as children are removed from conditions of deprivation. What is less clear is whether signs of DSED in early childhood are associated with poorer functioning in early adolescence, including among children who no longer manifest signs of DSED at this age. In a sample of 136 Romanian children from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), who were e...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - May 21, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Guyon-Harris KL, Humphreys KL, Miron D, Gleason MM, Nelson CA, Fox NA, Zeanah CH Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research