A dimensional taxonomy of behavioral problems and emotional difficulties in three-year olds

U svijetlu kontroverze o dijagnostičkoj klasifikaciji i epidemiologiji predškolskih psihičkih poremećaja, čini se da su opravdana daljnja istraživanja taksonomije psihopatologije kod predškolske djece. U Sloveniji se provodi testiranje psihopatologije kod predškolske djece pomoću Sistematskog psihološkog pregleda trogodišnjeg djeteta (SPP-3). Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi taksonomiju bihevioralnih problema i emocionalnih poteškoća dobivenim pomoću SPP-3 te dokumentirati valjanost u odnosu na Achenbachovu check-listu dječjeg ponašanja (CBCL), međunarodno priznatu mjeru dječje psihopatologije. Prikupljeni su podaci za 26 000 djece, koji su korišteni za eksploratorno i potvrdno uspoređivanje strukturalnih modela, dok su podaci za 212 djece korišteni za utvrđivanje usporedne valjanosti sa CBCL-om. Osmofaktorski potvrdni model najbolje je odgovarao prikupljenim podacima (RMSEA = 0,023, CFI = 0,951), a uključivao je dimenzije internaliziranog ponašanja, povučenog ponašanja, problema hranjenja, poteškoća u eliminaciji, problema sa spavanjem, eksternaliziranog ponašanja, tikova i navika te somatskih problema. Naši se rezultati preklapaju s utvrđenim empirijskim modelima psihopatologije kod predškolske djece te upućuju na mogući zajednički okvir za opisivanje psihopatologije kod predškolske djece pomoću različitih mjernih instrumenata. Također ističu moguće istraživačke pravce te prevenciju u području mentalnog zdravlja predškolske djece.In light of the controversy regarding the diagnostic classification and epidemiology of preschool psychiatric disorders, more research into the taxonomy of preschool psychopathology seems warranted. In Slovenia the signs and symptoms of preschool psychopathology are screened for in the population using the Psychological Screening Survey of Three-year olds (SPP-3). The current study aimed to establish a taxonomy of behavioral problems and emotional difficulties obtained via the SPP-3 and document its concurrent validity in regard to the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist, an internationally well-established measure of child psychopathology. Data from over 26000 children was used for exploratory and confirmatory structural equation modeling, while data from 212 children was used to establish concurrent validity with the CBCL. An eight-factor confirmatory model provided the best fit to the data (RMSEA = 0.023, CFI = 0.951) and included the dimensions of Internalizing Behavior, Withdrawn Behavior, Eating Problems, Elimination Difficulties, Sleep Problems, Externalizing Behaviors, Tics and Habit Behaviors and Somatic Problems. Our results overlap with previously established empirical models of preschool psychopathology and point towards a possible common framework for describing preschool psychopathology across different assessment instruments. They also highlight avenues for research and prevention work in the field of preschool mental health

Imitation in fragile X syndrome: Implications for Autism

To address the specific impairment of imitation in autism, the imitation abilities of 22 children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) with and without autism were compared. Based on previous research, we predicted that children with FXS and autism would have significantly more difficulty with non-meaningful imitation tasks. After controlling for full-scale IQ and age, the groups did not differ in their overall imitation accuracy scores, but analysis of error patterns revealed that children with FXS and autism made more groping errors and additional movements than the comparison group. These error patterns are consistent with the hypothesis that an action production system deficit plays an important role in the overall imitation deficit in autism, at least in children with FXS

Online consultations in mental healthcare: Modelling determinants of use and experience based on an international survey study at the onset of the pandemic

Introduction: While online consultations have shown promise to be a means for the effective delivery of high -quality mental healthcare and the first implementations of these digital therapeutic contacts go back nearly two decades, uptake has remained limited over the years. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered this relative standstill and created a unique turning point, with a massive amount of both professionals and clients having first hands-on experiences with technology in mental healthcare.Objective: The current study aimed to document the uptake of online consultations and explore if specific characteristics of mental health professionals across and beyond Europe could predict this.Methods: An international survey was designed to assess mental health professionals' (initial) experiences with online consultations at the onset of the pandemic: their willingness to make use of them and their prior and current experiences, alongside several personal characteristics. Logistic mixed-effects models were used to identify predictors of the use of online consultations, personal experience with this modality, and the sense of telepresence.Results: A total of 9115 healthcare professionals from 73 countries participated of which about two-thirds used online consultations during the initial COVID-19 outbreak. The current study identifies multiple determinants relating to the use and experience of online consultations, including the professionals' age, experience with the technology before the outbreak, the professional context, and training.Conclusions: Despite strong evidence supporting the relevance of training in digital mental health, this is clearly still lacking. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic presented a first, and potentially transformative, experience with online consultations for many healthcare professionals. The insights from this study can help supportprofessionals and, importantly, (mental) healthcare organisations to create optimal circumstances for selective and high-quality continued use of online consultations

To Help or Not to Help? Prosocial Behavior, Its Association With Well-Being, and Predictors of Prosocial Behavior During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic

Funding Information: This work was supported by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation awarded to ATG (PP00P1_ 163716/1 and PP00P1_190082). The funder provided support in the form of salaries for authors (EH and ATG) but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Haller, Lubenko, Presti, Squatrito, Constantinou, Nicolaou, Papacostas, Aydın, Chong, Chien, Cheng, Ruiz, García-Martín, Obando-Posada, Segura-Vargas, Vasiliou, McHugh, Höfer, Baban, Dias Neto, da Silva, Monestès, Alvarez-Galvez, Paez-Blarrina, Montesinos, Valdivia-Salas, Ori, Kleszcz, Lappalainen, Ivanović, Gosar, Dionne, Merwin, Karekla, Kassianos and Gloster.The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic fundamentally disrupted humans’ social life and behavior. Public health measures may have inadvertently impacted how people care for each other. This study investigated prosocial behavior, its association well-being, and predictors of prosocial behavior during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and sought to understand whether region-specific differences exist. Participants (N = 9,496) from eight regions clustering multiple countries around the world responded to a cross-sectional online-survey investigating the psychological consequences of the first upsurge of lockdowns in spring 2020. Prosocial behavior was reported to occur frequently. Multiple regression analyses showed that prosocial behavior was associated with better well-being consistently across regions. With regard to predictors of prosocial behavior, high levels of perceived social support were most strongly associated with prosocial behavior, followed by high levels of perceived stress, positive affect and psychological flexibility. Sociodemographic and psychosocial predictors of prosocial behavior were similar across regions.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health: An international study

Background The COVID-19 pandemic triggered vast governmental lockdowns. The impact of these lockdowns on mental health is inadequately understood. On the one hand such drastic changes in daily routines could be detrimental to mental health. On the other hand, it might not be experienced negatively, especially because the entire population was affected. Methods The aim of this study was to determine mental health outcomes during pandemic induced lockdowns and to examine known predictors of mental health outcomes. We therefore surveyed n = 9,565 people from 78 countries and 18 languages. Outcomes assessed were stress, depression, affect, and wellbeing. Predictors included country, sociodemographic factors, lockdown characteristics, social factors, and psychological factors. Results Results indicated that on average about 10% of the sample was languishing from low levels of mental health and about 50% had only moderate mental health. Importantly, three consistent predictors of mental health emerged: social support, education level, and psychologically flexible (vs. rigid) responding. Poorer outcomes were most strongly predicted by a worsening of finances and not having access to basic supplies. Conclusions These results suggest that on whole, respondents were moderately mentally healthy at the time of a population-wide lockdown. The highest level of mental health difficulties were found in approximately 10% of the population. Findings suggest that public health initiatives should target people without social support and those whose finances worsen as a result of the lockdown. Interventions that promote psychological flexibility may mitigate the impact of the pandemic

Mental Health and Adherence to COVID-19 Protective Behaviors among Cancer Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International, Multinational Cross-Sectional Study

A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted during the first COVID-19 wave, to examine the impact of COVID-19 on mental health using an anonymous online survey, enrolling 9565 individuals in 78 countries. The current sub-study examined the impact of the pandemic and the associated lockdown measures on the mental health, and protective behaviors of cancer patients in comparison to non-cancer participants. Furthermore, 264 participants from 30 different countries reported being cancer patients. The median age was 51.5 years, 79.9% were female, and 28% had breast cancer. Cancer participants reported higher self-efficacy to follow recommended national guidelines regarding COVID-19 protective behaviors compared to non-cancer participants (p < 0.01). They were less stressed (p < 0.01), more psychologically flexible (p < 0.01), and had higher levels of positive affect compared to non-cancer participants. Amongst cancer participants, the majority (80.3%) reported COVID-19, not their cancer, as their priority during the first wave of the pandemic and females reported higher levels of stress compared to males. In conclusion, cancer participants appeared to have handled the unpredictable nature of the first wave of the pandemic efficiently, with a positive attitude towards an unknown and otherwise frightening situation. Larger, cancer population specific and longitudinal studies are warranted to ensure adequate medical and psychological care for cancer patients.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Utility of the Questionnaire on children’s processing of sensory input in children with autism spectrum disorder

Za otroke z motnjo avtističnega spektra so poleg težav na področju socialne komunikacije ter nefleksibilnega vedenja značilne težave pri odzivanju na senzorne prilive. Naš namen je bil oceniti občutljivost Vprašalnika o otrokovi predelavi senzornih prilivov za prepoznavanje posebnosti senzorne predelave pri otrocih z motnjo avtističnega spektra. Na podlagi odgovorov 108 staršev nevrotipičnih otrok in 27 otrok z motnjo avtističnega spektra (3–10 let) smo ugotovili, da vprašalnik med skupinama dobro razlikuje. Vprašalnik lahko uporabljajo strokovnjaki s področja zdravstva, šolstva ali socialnega varstva in je novost na področju prepoznavanja motnje senzorne predelave v Sloveniji. Pridobljene informacije pomagajo načrtovati podporo otroku s senzornimi izzivi.Utility of the Questionnaire on Children’s Processing of Sensory Input in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder In addition to difficulties with social communication and behaviour flexibility, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience difficulty responding to sensory input. Our aim was to assess the sensitivity of the Questionnaire on Children’s Processing of Sensory Input to sensory issues experienced by children with ASD. Based on the responses of 108 parents of neurotypical children and 27 parents of children with ASD (3 to 10 years), we found that the questionnaire differentiated well between the groups. The questionnaire may be used by health, education or social services professionals and represents a novel tool for recognizing sensory processing difficulties in children. Information gained from it can help plan additional supports for children with sensory challenges

Decision-making in adolescent females who deliberately self-harm

Self-harming behaviour most commonly begins in adolescence and is more frequent among adolescent females. We explored the hypothesis that adolescent females who deliberately selfharm were more likely to perform worse on a decision-making task. Previous research in adolescents who self-harm reported impaired decision-making. However, research put little emphasis on older adolescents and the emotional learning. In our research, we presented the Iowa Gambling Task to 35 adolescent females who self-harmed and were treated at a psychiatric clinic, and to 35 healthy female controls. Our results show that in comparison to the control group the adolescents who self-harm took more risky decisions and were less concerned about the outcome. In addition, the clinical group also focused more on immediate gains and showed a reduced ability to learn from poor decisions in the past. Further research is suggested to explore the potential neurological correlates of decision-making and selfharming behaviour

Attachment and family functioning across three generations

The present study explores the transmission of attachment and family functioning across three generations. It is based on a sample of 460 female emerging adults (aged 18–26), their mothers (N = 440), fathers (N = 368), maternal grandmothers (N = 224), and maternal grandfathers (N = 113). Participants self-assessed their attachment anxiety and avoidance using the Relationship Style Questionnaire and evaluated the functioning of their families of origin using the Family Adaptation and Cohesion Scale–IV. The results reveal two mechanisms, both of which have a small but significant effect on the development of attachment across generations. The first operates via direct trans-generational transmission of attachment from parent to child, mainly involving the mother–child dyad, while the second operates through primary family functioning, especially balanced family cohesion, but also enmeshment and chaos in the case of attachment avoidance. The findings highlight the importance of including content related to attachment and family functioning in intervention programs