SEARCH · Search PubMed
Results for “Child Behavior Disorders”
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Bullying and psychiatric symptoms among elementary school-age children.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess bullying and psychological disturbance among 5,813 elementary school-aged children. METHOD: The data consisted of information given by the parents, teachers, and children themselves (Rutter A2 Scale, Rutter B2 Scale and Children's Depression Inventory). Children involved in bullying (as bullies, bully-victims, and victims) were compared to other children. RESULTS: More boys than girls were found to be involved in bullying. Bully-victims scored highest in externalizing behaviour and hyperactivity, and they themselves reported feelings of ineffectiveness and interpersonal problems. Victims scored highest in internalizing behavior and also psychosomatic symptoms, and they themselves reported anhedonia. Some gender differences in psychiatric symptomatology were also found. Children involved in bullying, especially children who both bullied and were bullied themselves, were psychologically disturbed. More children involved in bullying than others were referred for psychiatric consultation. The probability of being referred was highest among bully-victims (6.5 fold for males and 9.9 for females when compared to children not involved in bullying). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that bullying is a common phenomenon among children who are psychologically disturbed. Bullying also elevates the probability of being referred for psychiatric consultation.
Psychiatric disorders in the relatives of depressed probands. I. Comparison of prepubertal, adolescent and early adult onset cases.
Research with adults suggests that early onset of depression is associated with increased rates of depression among relatives. This paper presents results, of a family study that tested the hypothesis that prepubertal depression was associated with a greater familial loading of depression than the postpubertal form, which in turn had a greater familial loading than adult onset depression. Probands were from a child to adult longitudinal study. Psychiatric disorders among relatives were assessed with family interview and family history methods 'blind' to all findings regarding the proband. Contrary to expectation, familial rates of depression did not differ significantly between the groups. However, manic disorders tended to be more common among the relatives of postpubertal depressed cases than among the relatives of adult onset cases. Moreover, relatives of prepubertal depressed subjects had higher rates of criminality and family discord than postpubertal subjects. Prepubertal onset depressive disorders appear to be relatively distinct from postpubertal forms.
Conduct disorder with and without mania in a referred sample of ADHD children.
OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that dysphoric and non-dysphoric types of CD could be distinguished from one another in their patterns of familiality, adversity, and comorbidity. METHODS: We examined 140 ADHD and 120 normal controls at baseline and 4 years later using assessments from multiple domains. We compared ADHD subgroups with and without conduct (CD) and bipolar (BPD) disorders on psychiatric outcomes at a 4-year follow-up, familial psychopathology and psychosocial functioning. RESULTS: We found that ADHD children with both disorders had higher familial and personal risk for mood disorders than those with CD only, who had a higher personal risk for antisocial personality disorder. Among ADHD probands, having both CD and BPD was associated with poorer functioning and an increased risk for psychiatric hospitalization. DISCUSSION: Although preliminary, our findings suggest that the distinction between dysphoric and non-dysphoric CD may be clinically meaningful. If confirmed, our findings could have important diagnostic and therapeutic implications for the management of antisocial youth.
Familial correlates of central serotonin function in children with disruptive behavior disorders.
Previous findings suggest a relationship between childhood aggression, parental history of aggression and central serotonin (5-HT) function. The present study extended these findings by examining the impact of childhood aggression and central 5-HT function on the incidence of psychopathology in first- and second-degree relatives of pre-pubertal children with disruptive behavior disorders. Family history of psychopathology was obtained for 58 aggressive and 44 non-aggressive clinically referred children who were further sub-divided based on central 5-HT function. Central 5-HT function was assessed by measuring the prolactin response to a 1 mg/kg oral dose of d,l-fenfluramine. Aggressive children with low-prolactin responses to fenfluramine had a significantly greater incidence of first- and second-degree relatives with aggressive and antisocial characteristics compared to both non-aggressive children and aggressive children with high-prolactin responses. No group differences were found in the frequency of relatives with symptoms of cognitive impairment or inattention and hyperactivity. These data suggest that there are both familial and non-familial forms of aggression in children, and that only the familial type is associated with reduced 5-HT function.
Adult psychopathic personality with childhood-onset hyperactivity and conduct disorder: a central problem constellation in forensic psychiatry.
To describe lifetime mental disorders among perpetrators of severe inter-personal crimes and to identify the problem domains most closely associated with aggression and a history of repeated violent criminality, we used structured interviews, clinical assessments, analyses of intellectual functioning, medical and social files, and collateral interviews in 100 consecutive subjects of pretrial forensic psychiatric investigations. Childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders [attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), learning disability, tics and autism spectrum disorders] affected 55% of the subjects and formed complex comorbidity patterns with adult personality disorders [including psychopathic traits according to the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R)], mood disorders and substance abuse. The closest psychiatric covariates to high Lifetime History of Aggression (LHA) scores and violent recidivism were the PCL-R scores and childhood conduct disorder (CD). Behavioral and affective PCL-R factors were closely associated with childhood AD/HD, CD, and autistic traits. The results support the notion that childhood-onset social and behavioral problems form the most relevant psychiatric symptom cluster in relation to pervasive adult violent behavior, while late-onset mental disorders are more often associated with single acts of violent or sexual aggression.
A review of methods and instruments for assessing externalizing disorders: theoretical and practical considerations in rendering a diagnosis.
This review addresses the most current and widely used methods of assessing childhood and adolescent externalizing disorders. Interviews, rating scales, and self-report instruments are described, and their strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Direct observational techniques in naturalistic and analogue settings are also reviewed. Throughout the article, commentary is offered regarding the psychometric adequacy and clinical validity of these instruments. It is suggested that, although the instruments presently used to assist in diagnosing externalizing disorders generally possess adequate reliability and representational validity, evidence of elaborative validity is lacking. Clinicians and researchers are encouraged to adopt a broader conceptualization of the diagnostic process, to question existing standards for establishing validity, and to consider alternative means of demonstrating diagnostic utility.
Parents' detection of early signs in their children having an autistic spectrum disorder.
The study aimed to describe parents' views of their early perception and detection that something was wrong with their child and to give a comprehensive description of early signs to help primary health care nurses to focus on relevant symptoms. Participants were 66 parents from a total of 37 families, a population-based sample from a Swedish county. Interview data were analyzed by manifest content analysis. The results indicated a few critical periods: around the birth, early speech development, and school start. The diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorders was delayed. The parents' reports were congruent with earlier observation studies.
Neurobehavioral outcome of infants with sonographic lenticulostriate vasculopathy.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Specificity of developmental precursors to schizophrenia and affective disorders.
Developmental precursors to adult disorder suggest that components of their causes operate in early life. Several birth cohort studies have relevant prospective data and are reporting results for schizophrenia and affective disorder. These studies suggest that developmental findings are not specific for schizophrenia, although the magnitude of effects tends to be greater compared with affective disorder. These findings are reviewed and some methodological issues discussed. Apparent lack of specificity may mask underlying unique mechanisms and causes. In terms of a future public health perspective involving prediction and prevention, a lack of specificity may be advantageous.
Behavioural phenotype in foetal alcohol syndrome and foetal alcohol effects.
A sample of 12 children (seven males, five females; mean age 6 years 7 months, SD 2 years 6 months, range 2 years 4 months to 12 years 1 month) with moderate-to-severe foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and another sample of 26 children (12 males, 14 females; mean age of 6 years 2 months SD 2 years 10 months, range 2 years 6 months to 12 years 8 months) with mild FAS or foetal alcohol effects (FAE) as well as a sample of 15 age- and sex-matched control children with unspecific intellectual disability were compared using the Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC). There were significant differences (p=0.01) between the groups on five of six subscales of the DBC with controls scoring lower on the disruptive, self-absorbed, anxiety, antisocial behaviour, and communication disturbance scales. The DBC profiles of the two foetal alcohol exposed groups did not differ from each other. It is concluded that quantitative behaviour measurement provides insights into specific behavioural phenotypes of FAS/FAE.
Clinical characteristics of language regression in children.
The spectrum of language regression in childhood is incompletely understood. To describe the features of this disorder more fully, we reviewed the records of 196 consecutive children (143 males and 53 females) with language regression or perceived plateau evaluated between 1988 and 1994 by a child neurologist. Mean age at regression was 21.2 months and the mean interval to referral was 34.8 months. A trigger for the regression was identified in 74 of the children (38%) and was associated with a more rapid regression. Mean age at follow-up was 64 months (SD 55). Seventy per cent of the children became nonverbal, and 75% were cognitively impaired. Language regression was associated with a more global autistic regression in 93% of children. There was a history of seizures in 15% of the children. Some recovery occurred in 61% but only one child recovered fully. Improvement was more likely in the 49% who were entirely developmentally normal before the regression. We conclude that language regression in childhood is a serious disorder with significant long-term morbidity.
Parental psychiatric disorder: effects on children.
A 4-year prospective study was undertaken of the families of 137 newly referred English speaking psychiatric patients with children at home aged under 15 years. The group comprised a representative sample of such patients living in one inner London borough. Teacher questionnaires were obtained yearly for all children of school age in the families, and for age-, sex- and classroom-matched controls. Detailed standardized interviews were undertaken yearly with parent-patients and with their spouses. A comparison was also made with a control group of families in the general population with 10-year-old children. Patients' families differed in terms of a higher rate of psychiatric disorder in spouses and a much higher level of family discord. Both parental mental disorder and marital discord tended to persist over the 4-year period, but persistence of both was much more marked when the parent had a personality disorder. The children of psychiatric patients had an increased rate of persistent emotional/behavioural disturbance, which tended to involve disorders of conduct. The psychiatric risk to the children was greatest in the case of personality disorders associated with high levels of exposure to hostile behaviour. Boys showing temperamental risk features were most vulnerable to the ill-effects associated with parental mental disorder.
Benefits and pitfalls in the merging of disciplines: the example of developmental psychopathology and the study of persons with autism.
Recent advances in the discipline of developmental psychopathology highlight the contributions of developmental thought to the study of persons with autism. This article briefly outlines primary developmental innovations in theory, methodology, and the interpretation of findings. Specifically. we discuss two sets of issues that arise from the general notion of developmental level. One set is relevant to the choice of persons that comprise the comparison group and the other to the various implications of the subjects' levels of functioning. In sum, we contend that researchers need to frame their empirical work within the context of developmental theory and methodology and interpret their findings accordingly. This will lead to scientifically compelling work and an increasingly heuristic approach to the study of persons with autism.
Peer group victimization as a predictor of children's behavior problems at home and in school.
This study reports a short-term prospective investigation of the role of peer group victimization in the development of children's behavior problems, at home and in school. Sociometric interviews were utilized to assess aggression, victimization by peers, and peer rejection, for 330 children who were in either the third or fourth grade (approximate mean ages of 8-9 years old). Behavior problems were assessed using standardized behavior checklists completed by mothers and teachers. A follow-up assessment of behavior problems was completed 2 years later, when the children were in either the fifth or sixth grade (approximate mean ages of 10-11 years old). Victimization was both concurrently and prospectively associated with externalizing, attention dysregulation, and immature/dependent behavior. Victimization also predicted increases in these difficulties over time, and incremented the prediction in later behavior problems associated with peer rejection and aggression. The results of this investigation demonstrate that victimization in the peer group is an important predictor of later behavioral maladjustment.
Theory of mind and emotion-recognition functioning in autistic spectrum disorders and in psychiatric control and normal children.
The hypothesis was tested that weak theory of mind (ToM) and/or emotion recognition (ER) abilities are specific to subjects with autism. Differences in ToM and ER performance were examined between autistic (n = 20), pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) (n = 20), psychiatric control (n = 20), and normal children (n = 20). The clinical groups were matched person-to-person on age and verbal IQ. We used tasks for the matching and the context recognition of emotional expressions, and a set of first- and second-order ToM tasks. Autistic and PDD-NOS children could not be significantly differentiated from each other, nor could they be differentiated from the psychiatric controls with a diagnosis of ADHD (n = 9). The psychiatric controls with conduct disorder or dysthymia performed about as well as normal children. The variance in second-order ToM performance contributed most to differences between diagnostic groups.
Cognitive and behavioral precursors of schizophrenia.
Attentional deficits are well-established characteristics of patients with schizophrenia and their at-risk offspring, suggesting a biological connection between attention and schizophrenia. The goal of this study is to clarify the developmental role of attention in the illness. Data has been collected from 87 subjects at high and low risk for schizophrenia who have participated in the New York High-Risk Project from 1977 to the present. Individuals are considered to be at high risk if either or both of their parents has schizophrenia. Analyses of attention and global behaviors, measured at intervals from about 12 to 26 years of age, indicate (a) attentional deficits can be reliably detected in high-risk children who will develop future schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (the prespectrum [PSP] group); (b) these deficits are stable, enduring over time, and appear to reflect a compromised attentional capacity; (c) attention is not affected by the onset of illness in the PSP group; (d) for all subjects, attention and global behaviors follow independent developmental pathways; and (e) behavioral difficulties, but not attention deficits, appear to be highly sensitive to environmental factors, especially rearing by a mentally ill parent. It is concluded that in PSP individuals impaired attention probably results from prenatal developmental abnormalities (possibly on the cellular level) and is likely to be a marker of a biological vulnerability to schizophrenia. In addition, attentional deficits, as opposed to early behavioral difficulties, are concluded to be a useful first step in screening for youngsters in need of early intervention.
Prevalence and correlates of antisocial behaviors among three ethnic groups.
Using data from the MECA Study, this report examines the prevalence of Conduct Disorder (CD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and various levels of antisocial behavior and their correlates among three ethnic groups: Hispanics, subdivided into Island Puerto Ricans and Mainland Hispanics; African Americans; and Mainland Non-Hispanic, Non-African Americans. Correlates considered include stressful life events, birth defects, low birth weight, learning difficulties, teen mothers, family environment, marital adjustment, social competence, parental monitoring, and family relationships. Logistic regression was used to determine the association of outcomes with individual correlates and of interaction terms with ethnicity. Differences between adjusted rates and observed rates of disorders and levels of antisocial behaviors are compared to estimate the extent to which each correlate explains the group differences in rates. Island Puerto Ricans had a lower prevalence of CD, ODD, and various levels of antisocial behavior than mainland Hispanics, African Americans, and non-Hispanic Whites. The lower prevalence appears to be associated with differences in the extent to which a number of these correlates are found on the island, the most salient being better family relations between the target children and their parents and siblings.