Editorial : Is preterm birth overlooked in child and adolescent psychiatry?

Obstetric factors have long been recognised as risk factors for the later development of poor mental health. One of the most consistently reported of these associations is for preterm birth (birth before 37 weeks’ gestation), a form of early adversity that impacts health and development across the life course. Preterm birth is not uncommon: in 2014, 10.6% of live births globally (nearly 15 million babies) were preterm. 1 Advances in neonatal care since the early 1990s have dramatically increased the numbers of babies who survive extremely preterm birth (birth at < 28 weeks’ gestation) in high-income countries. This has led to growing interest in how extremely preterm birth impacts longer term outcomes including psychosocial development across the life-span

How do parents manage irritability, challenging behavior, non-compliance and anxiety in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders? A meta-synthesis

Although there is increasing research interest in the parenting of children with ASD, at present, little is known about everyday strategies used to manage problem behaviour. We conducted a meta-synthesis to explore what strategies parents use to manage irritability, non-compliance, challenging behaviour and anxiety in their children with ASD. Approaches included: (1) accommodating the child; (2) modifying the environment; (3) providing structure, routine and occupation; (4) supervision and monitoring; (5) managing non-compliance with everyday tasks; (6) responding to problem behaviour; (7) managing distress; (8) maintaining safety and (9) analysing and planning. Results suggest complex parenting demands in children with ASD and problem behaviour. Findings will inform the development of a new measure to quantify parenting strategies relevant to ASD

Extreme Demand Avoidance in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder:Refinement of a Caregiver-Report Measure

Objectives: Extreme/“pathological” demand avoidance (PDA) describes a presentation found in some children on the autism spectrum, characterized by obsessive resistance to everyday demands and requests. Demands often trigger avoidance behavior (e.g., distraction, excuses, withdrawal into role play). Pressure to comply can lead to escalation in emotional reactivity and behavior that challenges. Methods: Previously, the Extreme Demand Avoidance Questionnaire (EDA-Q) was developed to quantify resemblance to clinical accounts of PDA from caregiver reports. The aim of this study was to refine the EDA-Q using principal components analysis (PCA) and item response theory (IRT) analysis on parent/caregiver-report data from 334 children with ASD aged 5–17 years. Results: PCA and IRT analyses identified eight items that are discriminating indices of EDA traits, and behave similarly with respect to quantifying EDA irrespective of child age, gender, reported academic level, or reported independence in daily living activities. The “EDA-8” showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha =.90) and convergent and divergent validity with other measures (some of which were only available for a subsample of 233 respondents). EDA-8 scores were not related to parental reports of ASD severity. Conclusions: Inspection of the test information function suggests that the EDA-8 may be a useful tool to identify children on the autism spectrum who show an extreme response to demands, as a starting point for more in-depth assessment

CEO gender and the probability that firms go public

We study the association between the gender of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the probability that firms go public through an Initial Public Offering (IPO), using data for the full population of Swedish IPO firms from 2005-2017, and matched private firms. We find that firms that go public are less likely to have a female CEO. The results are robust when we test for a change of CEO: firms that switch from a male to a female CEO are less likely to go public, and when we consider the gender balance among the board of directors

Parenting Goals:Links with Parenting Strategies in Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

OBJECTIVES: Parenting goals describe the outcomes that parents aim for when interacting with their child. They have received little attention in research with caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study explored different types (dimensions) of parenting goals reported by caregivers of children with ASD, investigated links between these parenting goals and child characteristics, and explored whether parenting goals were linked to reported use of particular parenting strategies. METHODS: Data from 161 caregivers of children with ASD aged 7–18 years revealed two goal dimensions: “Norm Adherence Goals” (i.e. the perceived importance of the child cooperating with the parent, respecting their authority, and behaving well in public); and “Autonomy Support and Relationship Goals” (i.e. the perceived importance of promoting the child’s resilience, wellbeing, and the quality of the parent-child relationship). RESULTS: Parents who reported that norm adherence goals were particularly important to them were more likely to endorse parenting strategies such as setting rules, using rewards, and giving punishments. These parents also reported using less “Accommodation” (e.g. making allowances for their child, being flexible, avoiding triggers). Autonomy support and relationship goals were very strongly endorsed by nearly all parents, and we therefore could not find strong links between the importance of these goals and parenting strategies. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that parenting goals might be importantly linked to parenting strategies and could be considered in personalizing interventions in clinical practice. Given that parents’ cognitions about their child’s behaviour and their role as parents likely interact with and influence their parenting goals, we argue that future research should investigate parenting goals, cognitions, and behaviours in parallel

Cross-twin within-trait and cross-trait correlations, stratified by zygosity and gender.

<p>Key points </p><p></p><p>-</p><p>Difficulties in appropriate social interaction are characteristic of both children with autism spectrum disorders and children with callous-unemotional traits.</p><p></p><p>-</p><p>Experimental studies suggest that the nature of atypical social cognition that characterises these two profiles is not identical. However, ‘empathizing’ difficulties have been reported in both groups.</p><p></p><p>-</p><p>Our findings indicate that both social and communication impairments and callous-unemotional traits show modest phenotypic overlap. Aetiological influences accounting for individual differences on each domain were predominantly independent.</p><p></p><p>-</p><p>Although both children with high levels of ASD traits and children with high levels of callous-unemotional traits exhibit difficulties in appropriate social behaviour, the underlying drivers of these impairments are predominantly distinct.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p>-<p>Difficulties in appropriate social interaction are characteristic of both children with autism spectrum disorders and children with callous-unemotional traits.</p>-<p>Experimental studies suggest that the nature of atypical social cognition that characterises these two profiles is not identical. However, ‘empathizing’ difficulties have been reported in both groups.</p>-<p>Our findings indicate that both social and communication impairments and callous-unemotional traits show modest phenotypic overlap. Aetiological influences accounting for individual differences on each domain were predominantly independent.</p>-<p>Although both children with high levels of ASD traits and children with high levels of callous-unemotional traits exhibit difficulties in appropriate social behaviour, the underlying drivers of these impairments are predominantly distinct.</p><p>Cross-trait correlations are below the diagonals; within-trait correlations are on the diagonals. Abbreviations: CU = callous-unemotional; SI = Social interaction; SC = Social communication.</p