Biomedical subjects

R E Tremblay

Publications and source records attributed to R E Tremblay.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2000

Development of parasomnias from childhood to early adolescence.

OBJECTIVES: This study examines the prevalence and developmental changes of parasomnias and assesses gender differences, relationships between parasomnias, and associations with anxiety and family adversity using data collected during the course of a longitudinal study of a representative sample of children from Québec. METHOD: The present analyses are based on results available for 664 boys and 689 girls for whom mothers have completed questions concerning demographics, parasomnias, and anxiety level. For the prevalence and developmental aspects of parasomnias, prospective data were collected at annual intervals from 11 to 13 years old and retrospective data for the period between ages 3 and 10 years were collected when the children were 10 years old. RESULTS: Somniloquy, leg restlessness, and sleep bruxism are the most frequent parasomnias. More girls were afflicted with leg restlessness, while enuresis and somniloquy were more common in boys. High anxiety scores were found in children suffering from night terrors, somniloquy, leg restlessness, sleep bruxism, and body rocking. Parasomnias were unrelated to the index of family adversity. CONCLUSIONS: Although sleepwalking, night terrors, enuresis, and body rocking dramatically decreased during childhood, somniloquy, leg restlessness, and sleep bruxism were still highly prevalent at age 13 years, paralleling results found in adults. Sleepwalking, night terrors, and somniloquy are conditions often found together. The only robust gender difference was for enuresis. High anxiety scores in parasomnias are reported for the first time in a large, controlled study. Sociodemographic variables do not seem to play a major role in the occurrence of parasomnias.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Disruptive behavior, peer association, and conduct disorder: testing the developmental links through early intervention.

We tested three competing models regarding the role of deviant friends in the trajectory linking early disruptiveness with later conduct problems through the use of a preventive intervention program. The program was implemented during the second and third grade. One model predicted that the program would positively affect later conduct problems by facilitating nondeviant peer association during early adolescence. The second model predicted a direct impact of the program on later conduct problems through the reduction of early disruptiveness. The third model predicted an interaction between postintervention disruptiveness and association with less deviant friends. The results showed that the program's effects on later conduct problems were mediated by the reduction in disruptiveness and by the association with less deviant friends. However, the positive effect of associating with less deviant friends depended on whether children's disruptiveness had been reduced or not by their participation in the program, thus supporting the third model. We recommend using intervention studies to test developmental models.

Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorder↗

PubMed1999

Early parental separation and the psychosocial development of daughters 6-9 years old.

The relationship of timing of early parental separation to psychosocial development of daughters was examined in 77 girls, 6-9 years of age over a four-year period. Disruptive behavior across contexts was prevalent in girls separated between birth and two years of age. Girls separated between three and five years of age showed more externalizing behavior problems, but only in school. Results suggest that early parental separation has more pervasive and stable negative effects on psychosocial adjustment of girls in this age group in single-parent families. Implications of the findings and directions for research are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1999

Impulsivity predicts problem gambling in low SES adolescent males.

AIMS: This study investigated whether impulsivity measured in 12-14-year-olds could predict problem gambling in late adolescence, above and beyond other personality factors such as aggressiveness and anxiety. DESIGN: A prospective-longitudinal design was used, thus overcoming limitations of past studies which used concurrent or retrospective designs. PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENTS: The sample included 154 boys living in economically deprived neighborhoods. Impulsivity measures comprised self-reports, teacher ratings and laboratory tasks, and were administered during early adolescence. Gambling behavior was assessed at age 17 using a self-report measure. Early gambling behavior and socio-demographic information were also collected for control purposes. FINDINGS: Results revealed that a self-report measure of impulsiveness and a card-sorting task significantly predicted problem gambling, even after controlling for socio-demographic variables, early gambling behavior and other personality variables such as aggressiveness and anxiety. Moreover, the predictive link held across all levels of aggressiveness and anxiety. Both impulsivity measures seemed to tap an inability to foresee negative consequences and an inability to stop responding despite unfavorable contingencies. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that disinhibited individuals with response modulation deficits are at risk for problem gambling, thus supporting the DSM-IV classification of pathological gambling as an impulse control deficit.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Problem drug and alcohol use in a community sample of adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological studies of illegal drug use in adolescents have examined frequency of drug use; a few have examined diagnoses or symptoms of drug abuse or dependence. This study examined problem use of illegal drugs, about which very little is known. METHOD: Adolescents (879 boys and 929 girls), mean age of 15.7 years, representative of the province of Québec, Canada, were asked about problem use of alcohol and illegal drugs. RESULTS: Almost one third had used illegal drugs more than 5 times. Of this group, more than 70% reported going to school high on drugs, and the majority reported playing sports while high and using drugs in the morning. In these drugs users, 94% of the boys and 85% of the girls reported at least 1 problem and two thirds of the boys and more than half of the girls reported 3 or more problems from illegal drugs. Marijuana was used by almost all subjects at the time of maximal drug use; hallucinogens were the second most commonly used drug. Alcohol was used more frequently than illegal drugs, but problem use was less common. CONCLUSIONS: Problem drug use is the norm among the large minority who use illegal drugs more than a few times, and drug use is commonly incorporated into 2 major routine activities of teenagers--school and sports.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

[Alcoholic father, adolescent drug abuse and protective factors].

OBJECTIVES: To compare the children of alcoholic fathers who do not develop alcohol or drug problems in adolescence (that is, resilient children) to those who do, focusing on characteristics of personality and family. Various behavioural traits are examined as resilience factors, as are certain educational practices of the parents. METHOD: Resilience factors were studied throughout childhood, from age 6 to 12 years. The presence or absence of alcohol or drug problems was assessed at the age of 15 or 16 years. RESULTS: Close to 1000 children of both sexes participated in the study. As expected, paternal alcoholism was an important risk factor in the development of substance abuse problems in adolescence. The risk, however, diminishes with personality traits such as low thrill-seeking behaviour and a propensity for inhibition. These traits cannot be considered resilience factors, however, because their effect is as present in children of nonalcoholic fathers as in children of alcoholic fathers. Parental supervision proves to be a protective influence and was found to reduce the risk of substance abuse in children of alcoholic fathers. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that, above and beyond personality variables, the presence of an alcoholic father constitutes a high risk factor for adolescent drug addiction. Nevertheless, parental supervision may attenuate this risk and is therefore an important means of intervention.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Executive functions and physical aggression after controlling for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, general memory, and IQ.

This study examined the role of ADHD in the association between physical aggression and two types of executive functions. Boys received a cognitive-neuropsychological test battery over the ages of 13, 14, and 15 years. Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC 2.25) data were collected from the boys and one parent between ages 14 and 16, and an IQ estimate was obtained at age 15. Three groups, differing in stability and level of physical aggression since kindergarten, were formed: Stable Aggressive, Unstable Aggressive, and Non-aggressive. Composite scores of validated executive function tests of working memory representing subjective ordering and conditional association learning were formed. A MANCOVA (N = 149) using ADHD status, teacher-rated negative emotionality, general memory abilities, and IQ as covariates was performed on the two composite scores. ADHD and teacher-rated emotionality did not provide significant adjustment to the dependent variables. Number of ADHD symptoms was negatively associated only with general memory and IQ. General memory contributed significantly to adjusting for conditional association test scores. Group differences indicated lower conditional association scores for Unstable Aggressive boys relative to the other groups. Both IQ and general memory abilities interacted with subjective ordering within the groups. Specifically, Stable Aggressive boys performed poorly on this measure and did not benefit from increases in IQ whereas Nonaggressive boys performed best and were not disadvantaged by lower general memory abilities. This suggests a relationship exists between aspects of working memory and a history of physical aggression regardless of ADHD and IQ.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Effects of poverty on academic failure and delinquency in boys: a change and process model approach.

Using data from the Montreal Longitudinal-Experimental Study, we examined the impact of poverty (and its correlate, family configuration status) on academic placement and self-reported delinquency in boys at age 16. We then investigated whether the relation between family economic hardship and antisocial behaviour is direct or indirect by considering the value of parenting practices and academic failure as process variables in the model. Data included official records, and parent, teacher, and self-reports. The temporal intensity of poverty was classified into five categories: never-poor; always-poor; poor-earlier; poor-later; and transitory-poverty. Family configuration status was classified by both temporal characteristics and number of marital transitions: intact-family; short-term-single; long-term-single; short-term-remarried; long-term-remarried; and multiple-marital-transitions. Results revealed that when maternal education and early childhood behaviour were controlled, poverty had an effect on both academic failure and extreme delinquency. This effect was independent of family configuration status. Although they both significantly predicted extreme delinquency on their own, academic failure and parental supervision did not mediate the relationship between poverty and delinquency. Divorce increased the risk of theft and fighting at age 16, regardless of financial hardship. Parental supervision only helped explain the effects of divorce on boys' fighting.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Tryptophan depletion, executive functions, and disinhibition in aggressive, adolescent males.

Low serotonin has been associated with aggressive behavior and impulsivity. Executive functions (cognitive abilities involved in the initiation/maintenance of goal attainment) have also been related to aggression. We tested whether dietary depletion of tryptophan, the amino acid precursor of serotonin, would increase disinhibition (impulsivity) in aggressive male adolescents. Cognitive-neuropsychological variables predictive of disinhibition were explored. Stable aggressive and nonaggressive adolescent men received balanced and tryptophan-depleted, amino acid mixtures separately (counterbalanced, double-blind). Commission errors on a go/no-go learning task (i.e., failures to inhibit responding to stimuli associated with punishment/nonreward) measured disinhibition. Aggressive adolescent males made more commission errors as compared to nonaggressives. Lower executive functioning was significantly related to commission errors over and above conventional memory abilities. Tryptophan depletion had no effect on commission errors in the aggressive adolescents, possibly because of a ceiling effect.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Risk for hypertension and pain sensitivity in adolescent boys.

Reduced pain perception has been observed in many studies of spontaneously hypertensive rats and human hypertensive patients. To determine whether a reduced sensitivity to pain could be observed in a group of clearly normotensive individuals who may be at risk for hypertension, a mild to moderate pain stimulus was administered to 177 14-year-old boys. Boys with a normatively elevated resting systolic blood pressure tolerated mechanical finger pressure significantly longer than boys with lower blood pressure. As well, boys with both normatively elevated resting systolic blood pressure and a parental history of hypertension reported significantly less pain during finger pressure than lower risk participants. These findings could not be explained by personality factors and suggest that hypertension-related hypoalgesia is associated with processes involved in the development of the disorder.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Developmental pathways leading to externalizing behaviors in 5 year olds born before 29 weeks of gestation.

Longitudinal data for 62 infants born before 29 weeks of gestation were used to assess the influence of four factors (i.e., neonatal health, family environment, language skill, and nonverbal ability) on the parental report of hyperactive and oppositional behaviors of children at 5 years 9 months. The proposed path analysis model tested the following: (1) whether neonatal health and family environment have a direct influence on language skill and nonverbal ability both measured at 18 months corrected age, (2) the predictive value of language skill and nonverbal ability on oppositional and hyperactive behaviors, and (3) whether the effects of neonatal health and/or family environment on oppositional and hyperactive behaviors can be conceived as mediated by language skill and/or nonverbal ability. The results revealed three main pathways. First, family environment predicted language skill, which, in turn, was negatively associated with children's hyperactivity. Second, neonatal health predicted nonverbal ability, which was positively linked to oppositional behaviors. Third, a direct negative relation between neonatal health and hyperactive outcome was observed. The implications of these substantially different pathways for hyperactive and oppositional behaviors are discussed.

Causality↗

PubMed1998

Paternal alcoholism, paternal absence and the development of problem behaviors in boys from age six to twelve years.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between paternal alcoholism, paternal absence, and the development and stability of behavioral problems in boys, from kindergarten to the end of elementary school. METHOD: A sample of 642 boys originating from low socioeconomic status (SES) families was used. Paternal alcoholism was established using the Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test. Behavioral problems (opposition, hyperactivity, inattention, physical aggression and anxiety) were assessed by teachers' reports when the boys were 6 and 12 years old. Four groups of boys were created on the basis of paternal alcoholism (nonalcoholic, alcoholic) and family structure (intact families, nonintact/father-absent families). RESULTS: Consistent with personality theories of alcoholism, results showed that a propensity for physical aggression and low anxiety best distinguished sons of male alcoholics (SOMAs) from non-SOMAs at both ages (6 and 12 years), even when SES was controlled. In addition, SOMAs were more oppositional and hyperactive than non-SOMAs at both ages. No significant effects were observed for family structure or age, or an interaction between these factors and paternal alcoholism in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that problem behaviors in SOMAs begin early and persist over time, and that paternal alcoholism and family structure are not associated with changes in boys' behaviors between kindergarten and the end of elementary school in this population, at least in the sample used.

Aggression↗

PubMed1998

Cardiovascular reactivity and adolescent boys' physical health.

OBJECTIVE: Minor illnesses and major diseases are affected by individual, environmental, and social factors. The purpose of the study was to determine if cardiovascular reactivity, an individual characteristic, was related to adolescent boys' health status and behaviors. METHODS: A total of 89 low socioeconomic status 16-year-old boys who had been classified using teacher ratings during childhood as anxious, disruptive, anxious-disruptive, or normal participated in a laboratory stress experiment. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure were measured during the Social Competence Interview. Using the upper and lower quartiles of SBP change scores, 21 boys were classified as reactors and 20 boys were classified as nonreactors. Subjects were interviewed to assess health behaviors and outcomes, as well as stressful life events. RESULTS: No significant group differences were found for minor or major physical health problems. A logistic regression analysis indicated that risky health behaviors were associated with SBP reactivity, personality characteristics, and negative life events. Specifically, nonreactors, who were disruptive, had more negative life events and engaged in more health-compromising behaviors (eg, smoking cigarettes, unprotected sex), which may contribute to future health problems (eg, cancer, AIDS). Anxious individuals may be more vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases in part because of exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity to stress. CONCLUSION: Low socioeconomic status boys may be at risk for different health problems caused by differing personality characteristics associated with divergent health-related behaviors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

The impact of family transition on the development of delinquency in adolescent boys: a 9-year longitudinal study.

The purpose of this study was to examine prospectively the impact of family transition on deviant development in a sample of 427 French-Canadian boys participating in a longitudinal study from kindergarten onwards. During the course of the study some boys experienced family transition. We grouped the boys by developmental period and number of marital transitions they experienced: divorced between ages 6 and 11; divorced between ages 12 to 15; remarried between ages 6 and 11; and remarried between ages 12 and 15. From ages 11 to 15 we assessed boys' delinquency and their family processes (parental supervision, punishment, and communication) annually. The results suggest that boys who experienced remarriage between ages 12 and 15 are at greater risk for delinquency. In particular, they showed evidence of comparatively more theft and fighting at earlier ages than their peers from families that had remained intact. At similar points in development, they perceived less expressive parent-child relationships. Finally, these boys also perceived less monitoring by their parents, both overall and at different points in adolescence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Reactive and proactive aggression differentially predict later conduct problems.

This study tested whether proactive and reactive aggression were differently predictive of later externalizing problems such as delinquency and DSM-related disruptive behaviors (i.e. oppositional defiant and conduct disorders). It also tested whether these two subtypes of aggressive behaviors interacted in predicting externalizing problems. A community sample of low SES boys participated in the study. Proactive and reactive aggression were rated by teachers when boys were 12 years old. Delinquency, oppositional disorders, and conduct disorders were assessed during mid-adolescence. Proactive but not reactive aggression predicted delinquency and disruptive behaviors. Moreover, high levels of reactive aggression weakened the link between proactive aggression and delinquency. Reactive aggression, however, did not moderate the link between proactive aggression and disruptive behaviors. We conclude that reactive and proactive aggression are two types of aggressive behaviors with different predictive abilities. We also offer tentative explanations to account for the present findings.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Behavior of boys in kindergarten and the onset of substance use during adolescence.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of personality dimensions measured at ages 6 and 10 years in predicting early onset of cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, and other drug use in boys. In addition, the stability of the prediction between the measurements at ages 6 and 10 years was investigated. METHODS: Data from a large longitudinal study of boys were used to assess the relation between childhood personality and the onset of substance use from 10 to 15 years of age. Childhood personalities were assessed by teachers' ratings of behaviors. Self-reports of smoking cigarettes, getting drunk, and using other drugs provided the measurement of substance use. Discrete-time survival analysis was used for the statistical analyses. RESULTS: High novelty-seeking and low harm avoidance significantly predict early onset of substance use (eg, cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs), but reward dependence was unrelated to any of the outcomes studied. The results also indicated that either set of predictors (ie, the personality dimensions measured at ages 6 and 10 years) could be used to predict onset of cigarette smoking, getting drunk, and other drug use, because the power of prediction was similar between the measurements at ages 6 and 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: High novelty-seeking and low harm avoidance lead to early onset of substance use in boys. The stability of the prediction between ages 6 and 10 years suggests that the kindergarten assessments may be used for preventive efforts at school entry instead of waiting until early adolescence.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Boys' behavioral inhibition and the risk of later delinquency.

BACKGROUND: In some studies, shyness and anxiety have protected at-risk boys from developing delinquency. In others, shyness and withdrawal have increased risk. We argue that this is because behavioral inhibition, which is the protective factor, has been confounded with social withdrawal and other constructs. Our study addresses 3 major questions: (1) is behavioral inhibition, as distinguished from social withdrawal, a protective factor in the development of delinquency; (2) does the protective effect depend on whether disruptiveness is also present; and (3) does inhibition increase the risk of later depressive symptoms even if it protects against delinquency? METHODS: The subjects were boys from low socioeconomic status areas of Montreal, Quebec. Age 10- to 12-year predictors were peer-rated inhibition, withdrawal, and disruptiveness; age 13- to 15-year outcomes were self-rated depressive symptoms and delinquency. Eight age 10- to 12-year behavioral profiles were compared with 4 age 13- to 15-year outcome profiles. RESULTS: Inhibition seemed to protect disruptive and nondisruptive boys against delinquency. Disruptive boys who were noninhibited were more likely than chance to become delinquent; disruptive boys who were inhibited were not. Inhibition did not increase the risk for depression among disruptive boys. Among nondisruptive boys, only nondisruptive-inhibited boys were significantly less likely than chance to become delinquent. However, withdrawal was not protective. Disruptive-withdrawn boys were at the greatest risk for delinquency or delinquency with depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Inhibition and social withdrawal, although behaviorally similar, present different risks for later outcomes and, therefore, should be differentiated conceptually and empirically.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Predicting boys' early-onset substance abuse from father's alcoholism, son's disruptiveness, and mother's parenting behavior.

Sons of male alcoholics (SOMAs) are said to be at risk for alcoholism. The present study examined 4 groups of 13-year-old boys: SOMAs with and without disruptive behaviors, disruptive boys who were not SOMAs, and control participants. The classification of disruptive was based on 7-year longitudinal data, and father's alcoholism was determined by standardized tests. Mother's nurturance and promotion of autonomy were assessed in a laboratory setting; boys' substance abuse was measured by self-report methods in the same year as the observation. Boys with disruptive behaviors showed the most substance abuse; no effect of father's alcoholism was found. Disruptive boys' mothers were significantly less nurturant and demanded obedience rather than promoted autonomy. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the boys' disruptive behavior and the mother's lack of nurturance predicted early-onset substance abuse.

Adolescent↗