Psychopathology and behavior problems in children and adolescents with Williams syndrome: Distinctive relationships with cognition |
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| Authors: | Ana A. C. Osório Natália F. Rossi Óscar F. Gonçalves Adriana Sampaio Célia M. Giacheti |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, S?o Paulo, Brazil;2. CIPsi-School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugalana.osorio@mackenzie.br;4. Post-Graduate Program in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, S?o Paulo State University (UNESP), Campus of Marília, S?o Paulo, Brazil;5. CIPsi-School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal;6. Department of Physical Medicine &7. Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital &8. Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA;9. Applied Psychology Department, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA;10. Department of Speech, Language Pathology and Audiology, S?o Paulo State University (UNESP), Marília, Brazil |
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| Abstract: | Several studies have documented the high prevalence of psychopathology and behavior problems in Williams syndrome (WS). However, the links between cognitive development and such symptoms need further clarification. Our study aims to expand current knowledge on levels of behavior problems and its links to cognition in a sample of Brazilian individuals with WS. A total of 25 children and adolescents with WS and their parents participated in this study. The participants’ IQs were assessed with the Wechsler Scales of Intelligence (for children or adults) and parental reports of psychopathology/behavior problems were collected using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The presence of clinically significant attention problems was a main feature in our sample of children and adolescents with WS. In the children, higher IQ scores were found to be significantly associated with less externalizing problems, while in the adolescents cognitive abilities were found to be associated with less internalizing symptoms. These results provide further insight into the links between psychopathology and behavior problems and cognitive abilities in WS, and suggest the need to take age into consideration when analyzing such relationships. |
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| Keywords: | Williams syndrome Psychopathology Behavior problems Cognitive abilities |
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