Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Common Psychopathologies of Childhood and Adolescence: A Study of Twins and Their Siblings

We report findings based on analyses of self-reports of six common adolescent psychopathologies (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD; conduct disorder, CD; oppositional defiant disorder, ODD; generalized anxiety disorder, GAD; separation anxiety disorder, SAD; and major depressive disorder, MDD) in a sample of 1,162 male and female adolescent (12–19 years) twin pairs and 426 siblings. Prevalence statistics for past year and lifetime reports confirm differences between genders for CD, GAD, SAD, and MDD, and a lack of differences between twins and their non-twin siblings. Biometrical modeling was conducted to ascertain the relative influences of genes, and shared and non-shared environments contributing to these disorders. A more robust estimate of these parameters was obtained by including non-twin siblings. Age-specific thresholds were integrated into the analyses to appropriately model the developmental patterns of behavior. We found evidence for both genetic and non-shared environmental influences for all disorders. Shared environmental influences also seem to be important for MDD and lifetime GAD.     

USING LAG SCHEDULES TO INCREASE TOY PLAY VARIABILITY FOR CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Relatively few studies have evaluated procedures for increasing play skills in children with intellectual disabilities. To address this limitation, this study evaluated the extent to which lag schedules increased novel toy play responses for three children who exhibited little or no appropriate toy play. Results show that the lag 1 schedule increased toy play variability for all three participants and the lag 2 schedule produced very little additional variability for the two participants exposed to this condition. The results of a social validity assessment suggest that classroom paraprofessionals (i) perceived the participants' toy play as typical and (ii) were satisfied with the outcomes produced by the lag schedules. We discuss the clinical implications and the potential limitations of the findings. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Socioemotional Correlates of Creative Potential in Preschool Age Children: Thinking Beyond Student Academic Assessments

This study examines the correlates of creative potential in preschool children, with a focus on children’s social behavior. Ninety-four preschool-aged children, their mothers, and teachers participated in the study. Mothers completed a questionnaire measure of children’s shyness, and teachers reported on children’s levels of shyness, prosocial behavior, and aggression. Children completed Torrance’s Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement. Results indicated that imagination was predicted by lower levels of shyness and greater prosocial behavior, whereas divergent thinking was predicted by older child age and teacher ratings of aggression. Implications for promoting young children’s creative potential in the classroom are discussed.     

Effects of a Brief Parenting Intervention In Shelters For Mothers And Their Children Experiencing Homelessness

This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of an evidence-based parenting program—Triple P Positive Parenting Program—in shelter settings for families experiencing homelessness. The intervention has not previously been evaluated in a shelter setting, where there is a critical need for evidence-based parenting programs. Using a within-group pre- and post-intervention with 3-month follow-up design, 39 mothers residing in a shelter with a child ages 2–6 years participated. Results of this preliminary study showed positive effects of Triple P Discussion Groups. There were significant improvements in mother-reported parenting practices and child behavior across time, but no change in child maltreatment risk as measured by the Brief Child Abuse Potential Inventory. Mothers rated satisfaction with the program high immediately after the group and again three weeks later. Results showed Triple P Discussion Groups are acceptable and have some positive effects for this vulnerable population in need of parenting support. We discuss implications of findings, limitations of the study (including a 33% attrition rate), and recommendations for further study.

     

Cortisol Rhythm in Preschoolers: Relations with Maternal Depression and Child Temperament

Evidence supports associations between deviations from the normative daily cortisol rhythm and depression. We examined associations between multiple indices of daily cortisol in 146 preschool-aged children and two well-established risk factors for depression: maternal depression and early child temperament (negative emotionality/NE and positive emotionality/PE). Offspring of mothers with current depression demonstrated lower waking cortisol and lower total post-awakening cortisol. Child PE was negatively associated with waking cortisol. The combination of maternal depression history and high child NE was associated with higher levels of evening cortisol. Findings suggest that an interplay between familial risk for depression and child temperamental vulnerability may be related to neuroendocrine functioning in young children and highlight important methodological considerations in the assessment of children’s basal cortisol activity. It will be critical for future research to map the developmental progression from early disruptions in children’s cortisol rhythm to the emergence of psychopathology.     

Depressive symptoms enhance loss-minimization, but attenuate gain-maximization in history-dependent decision-making

Individuals with depressive symptoms typically show deficits in decision-making. However, most work has emphasized decision-making under gain-maximization conditions. A gain-maximization framework may undermine decision-making when depressive symptoms are present because depressives are generally more sensitive to losses than gains. The present study examined decision making in a non-clinical sample of depressive and non-depressive individuals under gain-maximization or loss-minimization conditions using a task for which the currently available rewards depend upon participants' previous history of choices. As predicted, we found a cross over interaction whereby depressive individuals were superior to non-depressive individuals under loss-minimization conditions, but were inferior to non-depressive individuals under gain-maximization conditions. In addition, we found that loss-minimization performance was superior to gain-maximization performance for depressive individuals, but that gain-maximization performance was superior to loss-minimization performance for non-depressive individuals. These results suggest that decision making deficits observed when depressive symptoms are present may be attenuated when decisions involve minimizing losses rather than maximizing gains.     

Teacher practices as predictors of children's classroom social preference

Students who do not get along with their peers are at elevated risk for academic disengagement and school failure. Research has predominantly focused on factors within such children that contribute to their peer problems. This study considers whether teacher practices also predict social preference for children in that classroom. Participants were 26 elementary school teachers and 490 students in their classrooms followed for one school year. Results suggested that teachers who favored the most academically talented students in the fall had classrooms where children had lower average social preference in the spring after statistical control of children's fall social preference and externalizing behavior problems. Teachers who demonstrated emotionally supportive relationships with students in the fall had classrooms where children had greater possibility of changing their social preference from fall to spring. Although children with high externalizing behaviors tended to experience declining social preference over the course of the school year, teachers' learner-centered practices attenuated this progression. However, teachers' favoring of the most academically talented accentuated the negative relation between externalizing behaviors and social preference. Implications for school psychology practitioners are discussed.     

Pathways linking temperament and depressive symptoms: a short-term prospective diary study among adolescents

The current study examined mechanisms through which trait negative affectivity (NA) and effortful control (EC) prospectively predict increases in depressive symptoms in a community sample of 110 adolescents (mean age=16.40 years) in a 9-week, multi-wave diary study. We hypothesised youth with high NA and low EC would experience greater increases in depressive symptoms because they generate more maladaptive cognitive responses to stress. NA predicted greater event-specific rumination and negative cognitive style across the study period. After controlling for trait cognitive vulnerabilities, only event-specific rumination mediated the effect of NA on subsequent depressive symptoms, suggesting that high-NA youth are more likely to ruminate about stressful events, which then predicts increases in depressive symptoms. EC did not moderate the effects of NA on either depressive symptoms or cognitive responses to stress. Results are discussed in terms of vulnerability-stress models linking temperament and depressive symptoms in adolescence.