Does the Vigilance-Avoidance Gazing Behavior of Children with Separation Anxiety Disorder Change after Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?

Cognitive biases are of interest in understanding the development of anxiety disorders. They also play a significant role during psychotherapy, where cognitive biases are modified in order to break the vicious cycle responsible for maintaining anxiety disorders. In a previous study, the vigilance-avoidance pattern was shown in children with separation anxiety disorder (In-Albon et al. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 38:225-235, 2010). The exhibited avoidance pattern may be essential for the maintenance of the anxiety disorder. Therefore, in the present study we used eye tracking methodology presenting disorder specific pictures to examine possible changes in the vigilance-avoidance pattern in 18 children with separation anxiety disorder after cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) and 13 healthy controls. Results indicated that following treatment, the vigilance pattern of children with separation anxiety disorder reduced significantly. Thus, the vigilance-avoidance pattern can be modified by CB

Smart Beta: la promesse d'un rendement ajusté au risque plus attractif qu'un indice pondéré par la capitalisation boursière

Suite aux récentes crises financières, les attentes des investisseurs ont beaucoup évolué. De plus en plus exigeants, ils cherchent sans cesse à générer une meilleure performance à moindre risque et traquent les coûts. Ces derniers ont le choix entre de nombreuses stratégies de gestion. Ainsi, les stratégies Smart Beta promettent d’avantage que la gestion classique. Depuis la dernière décennie, l’industrie financière assiste à la croissance considérable de la demande pour ce type de produits. Néanmoins, le succès rencontré par ces stratégies suscite de nombreuses questions et divise le monde de la gestion d’actifs. A priori, la plupart des indices Smart Beta visent à améliorer la performance ajustée au risque ou minimiser le risque relatif à un indice de référence, pondéré par la capitalisation boursière. Grâce aux méthodologies de pondérations alternatives, les stratégies Smart Beta permettent d’augmenter ou d’atténuer l’exposition aux facteurs de risque. Ainsi, le Smart Beta se situe entre la gestion active et indicielle. Toutefois, il se différencie de la gestion passive traditionnelle. Ce dernier offre une approche « low cost » en suivant des règles transparentes visant à reproduire une liste de valeurs. Bien que la majorité des composantes de ces stratégies sont exploitées depuis plusieurs années par de nombreux chercheurs à travers des travaux académiques, le Smart Beta est une réelle évolution. En effet, il démocratise l’accès à des stratégies historiquement réservées à des investisseurs pouvant répondre à des exigences élevées de capitaux requis et assumer les frais de gestion qui y sont associés. Grâce au Smart Beta, l’investisseur peut donc accéder à certains marchés, à des coûts inférieurs. De plus, il a la possibilité d’exprimer ses vues sur le marché, peaufiner ses expositions avec précision et augmenter sa diversification à travers des positions « core » ou « satellite », dans le but de construire un meilleur portefeuille. A posteriori, plusieurs études démontrent avec cohérence grâce au « backtest », que les stratégies Smart Beta délivrent en moyenne une performance ajustée au risque plus attractive que les indices passifs traditionnels. Cependant, toutes les stratégies Smart Beta ne garantissent pas une surperformance absolue et systématique. En effet, l’investisseur doit garder à l’esprit que chaque stratégie est unique et que la performance passée ne garantit pas la performance future. Par conséquent, l’analyse minutieuse des constructions d’indices, des performances et des risques propres à chaque stratégie Smart Beta s’avère indispensable afin de déterminer si la stratégie permet de générer un rendement ajusté au risque plus attractif que son benchmark

Vigilance and Avoidance of Threat in the Eye Movements of Children with Separation Anxiety Disorder

The vigilance-avoidance attention pattern is found in anxious adults, who initially gaze more at threatening pictures than nonanxious adults (vigilance), but subsequently gaze less at them than nonanxious adults (avoidance). The present research, using eye tracking methodology, tested whether anxious children show the same pattern. Children with separation anxiety disorder or no mental disorder viewed pairs of pictures, while the direction of their gaze was tracked. Each picture pair showed one picture of a woman separating from a child, the other picture of a woman reuniting with a child. The results supported the vigilance-avoidance model in children. Although the two groups' gaze direction did not differ during the first second of viewing, anxious children gazed significantly more at separating (threatening) pictures than nonanxious children after a period of 1s. But after 3s the pattern reversed: anxious children gazed significantly less at the separating pictures than nonanxious childre

Mental disorders in the Pediatric Setting- Results of a Swiss Survey

Theoretical background: Mental disorders emerge in childhood and adolescence and are important risk factors for mental disorders in adolescents and adulthood. Since pediatricians typically are the first to see children with psychological problems, the aim of this study was to obtain a survey of mental disorders of children in pediatric settings. Methods: 250 pediatricians completed a questionnaire especially developed for this study, which asked for the estimated frequency and type of mental disorders in their patients, assurance in identifying mental disorders, used diagnostic and treatment strategies for these disorders and requests for training.Results: Pediatricians estimated that 15% percent of children in their pediatric setting reported psychological difficulties. The most frequent mental disorders indicated by the pediatricians were attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, depression, and aggressive disorders. Comfort in assigning diagnoses for anxiety disorders and depression was lower than for externalizing disorders. Counseling was the treatment approach most often reported in treating mental disorders, followed by psychopharmacological medication, psychotherapy however being reported very rarely. Their wish for continuing education included diagnostics and screening instruments for psychological problems in childhood. Conclusions: Estimated prevalence rates reported by pediatricians are comparable with rates in epidemiological studies. Because pediatricians are often confronted with psychological problems, they have the important role in recognizing early signs of mental problems

Early predictors of separation anxiety disorder : early stranger anxiety, parental pathology and prenatal factors

&lt;i&gt;Objective:&lt;/i&gt; The present study seeks to extend research on the etiology of separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in a German-speaking sample by examining differences between children with SAD and healthy comparisons, using a retrospective-reporting paradigm. &lt;i&gt;Method:&lt;/i&gt; The sample included 106 children with SAD and 44 healthy children between the ages of 4 and 14 years. Parents completed questionnaires and structured clinical interviews to assess parental pathology, pregnancy variables and strong early stranger anxiety. &lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt; Children with SAD were more likely than healthy children to have had a phase of stronger stranger anxiety in infancy. Further, early stranger anxiety remained a significant predictor of SAD after controlling for maternal depression. Meaningful effects were not found for the influence of parental age at birth or other pregnancy factors. &lt;i&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/i&gt; This study provides beginning evidence of the potential predictive value of strong stranger anxiety in distinguishing children with SAD from those with no disorder, above and beyond the influence of parental pathology.</jats:p

Kinder-DIPS:

Mit dem Kinder-DIPS Open Access: Diagnostisches Interview bei psychischen Störungen im Kindes- und Jugendalter liegt das etablierte diagnostische Interview in seiner dritten Auflage vor und steht nun für Praxis und Forschung frei zur Verfügung. Mithilfe des Kinder-DIPS Open Access können Diagnosen psychischer Störungen des Kindes- und Jugendalters nach DSM-5 und ICD-10 zuverlässig gestellt werden. Zudem können wichtige Informationen für die Planung und Durchführung psychotherapeutischer Interventionen strukturiert ermittelt werden.Die Interviewleitfäden (Eltern- und Kindversion) des Kinder-DIPS Open Access leiten Interviewerinnen und Interviewer durch die diagnostischen Gespräche mit Eltern und Kind. Im Anschluss an die Interviews bietet das Kinder-DIPS Open Access die Möglichkeit einer umfassenden Dokumentation der allgemeinen Anamnese sowie der sozialen Beurteilung. Die ebenfalls enthaltenen Protokollbögen erlauben schließlich die übersichtliche Dokumentation der erhobenen Symptomatik sowie eine detaillierte Zuordnung zu DSM-5-Kriterien. Schlagworte: Strukturiertes, klinisches Interview; Kinder-DIPS; Diagnostik; Psychische Störungen des Kindes- und Jugendalters; DSM-5; ICD-10 Bitte zitieren Sie für das Verfahren die beiden folgenden Angaben: Margraf, Cwik, Pflug &amp;Schneider (2017). Structured clinical interviews for mental disorders across the lifespan: Psychometric quality and further developments of the DIPS Open Access interviews. [Strukturierte klinische Interviews zur Erfassung psychischer Störungen über die Lebensspanne: Gütekriterien und Weiterentwicklungen der DIPS-Verfahren.]&nbsp;Zeitschrift für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie, 46(3). Schneider, S., Pflug, V., In-Albon, T. &amp; Margraf, J. (2017). Kinder-DIPS Open Access: Diagnostisches Interview bei psychischen Störungen im Kindes- und Jugendalter. Bochum: Forschungs- und Behandlungszentrum für psychische Gesundheit, Ruhr-Universität Bochum. Doi:&nbsp;10.13154/rub.101.90 Kinder-DIPS Open Access: Diagnostisches Interview bei psychischen Störungen im Kindes- und Jugendalter von Schneider, S., Pflug, V., In-Albon, T., &amp; Margraf, J. ist lizenziert unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell - Keine Bearbeitungen 4.0 International Lizenz. Tina In-Albon und Laura Kraus haben an Universität Koblenz-Landau ein&nbsp;Zusatzmodul zum Kinder-DIPS entwickelt. Diese Fragen erfassen Nichtsuizidale Selbstverletzungen (NSSV; DSM 5, Sektion 3: Klinische Erscheinungsbilder mit weiterem Forschungsbedarf). Das Modul liegt ausschließlich in der Kinderversion vor. Das Zusatzmodul zum Kinder-DIPS ist ebenfalls lizenziert unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell - Keine Bearbeitungen 4.0 International Lizenz

Psychopathologie und elterlicher Stress bei 3- bis 6-jährigen Kindern mit Ausscheidungsstörungen

Objective: Incontinence and functional gastrointestinal disorders are common in young children and are associated with higher rates of psychological symptoms and mental disorders. This article focuses on the mutual association between incontinence and related toilet refusal syndrome, parental stress, and children’s psychopathology especially in young children. Methods: Children’s psychological symptoms, mental disorders, and parental stress levels were assessed in 38 parent-child dyads involving children with incontinence and 42 dyads of typically developing (TD) children. Results: Compared to TD children, patients had higher internalizing and externalizing CBCL scores and higher rates of clinically relevant externalizing problems. However, the rates of clinically relevant internalizing problems and mental disorders did not differ. The parents of children with incontinence reported signifi cantly higher stress levels regarding child-related stress factors (PSI-CD) than did parents of TD children. However, there were no clinically relevant parental stress scores on a group level, which remained below the clinical range (T-value < 60). When simultaneously analyzed, children’s (comorbid) mental disorders but not incontinence had a major impact on parental stress. Conclusions: Despite moderate stress levels, incontinence symptoms, urinary and fecal incontinence are highly prevalent in young children. However, stress among parents of young children was mainly elicited by any (comorbid) mental disorder.Fragestellung: Ausscheidungsstörungen (AS) wie funktionelle Harn- und Stuhlinkontinenz sind sehr häufi ge Störungen im Vorschulalter und sind mit einer erhöhten Prävalenz von psychopathologischen Symptomen und psychischen Störungen bei den betroffenen Kindern assoziiert. Innerhalb der vorliegenden Arbeit wird der wechselseitige Zusammenhang von funktioneller Harn- und Stuhlinkontinenz sowie dem damit in Verbindung stehenden Toilettenverweigerungssyndrom auf die kindliche Psychopathologie und das elterliche Stresserleben speziell bei jungen Kindern untersucht. Methode: Psychopathologische Symptome, psychische Störungen und elterliche Stressbelastung wurden in 38 Eltern-Kind-Dyaden bei Kindern mit vorhandener AS und in 42 Dyaden bei Kindern ohne AS untersucht. Ergebnisse: Kinder mit AS wiesen höhere Werte von internalisierendem und externalisierendem Problemverhalten auf und waren häufi ger von klinisch relevanter externalisierender Symptomatik betroffen. Nichtsdestotrotz war die Prävalenz psychischer Störungen vergleichbar. Eltern von Kindern mit AS berichteten signifi kant höhere kindbezogene Stresslevel. Dennoch zeigte sich auf Gruppenebene kein klinisch bedeutsamer elterlicher Stress und die mittleren Stresslevel lagen unterhalb des Bereichs der klinischen Auffälligkeit (T-Wert < 60). Bei gleichzeitiger Betrachtung des Einfl usses von AS und psychischen Störungen zeigten sich letztere als ausschlaggebend für den elterlichen Stress. Schlussfolgerungen: Trotz moderater Stresslevel konnte eine generell hohe Prävalenz von AS Symptomen bei 3–6-Jährigen aufgezeigt werden. Elterlicher Stress war jedoch bedeutsamer mit einer (komorbiden) psychischen Erkrankung assoziiert

Clostridium chauvoei, an evolutionary dead-end pathogen

Full genome sequences of 20 strains of Clostridium chauvoei, the etiological agent of blackleg of cattle and sheep, isolated from four different continents over a period of 64 years (1951–2015) were determined and analyzed. The study reveals that the genome of the species C. chauvoei is highly homogeneous compared to the closely related species C. perfringens, a widespread pathogen that affects human and many animal species. Analysis of the CRISPR locus is sufficient to differentiate most C. chauvoei strains and is the most heterogenous region in the genome, containing in total 187 different spacer elements that are distributed as 30 – 77 copies in the various strains. Some genetic differences are found in the 3 allelic variants of fliC1, fliC2 and fliC3 genes that encode structural flagellin proteins, and certain strains do only contain one or two alleles. However, the major virulence genes including the highly toxic C. chauvoei toxin A, the sialidase and the two hyaluronidases are fully conserved as are the metabolic and structural genes of C. chauvoei. These data indicate that C. chauvoei is a strict ruminant-associated pathogen that has reached a dead end in its evolution

Measurement of Panic Interpretation Bias Using the Anxiety Interpretation Questionnaire for Children

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the development of a reliable and valid measure for the assessment of panic-relevant interpretations in children. The resulting measure, the Anxiety Interpretation Questionnaire for Children (AIQ-C), presents descriptions of panic-relevant and panic-irrelevant ambiguous scenarios along with several possible interpretations of these scenarios. Child participants are also asked to rate their agreement with various strategies for coping. First, we investigated content validity of this measure by asking a group of experts to rate the relevance of the scenario interpretations. In a second step, reliability and validity of this measure was investigated utilizing a sample of 143 children. In this investigation, the AIQ-C demonstrated good construct, convergent, and discriminate validity as well as adequate internal consistency. The results of this study indicate that the AIQ-C appears to be a reliable and valid measure for the assessment of bodily sensation interpretations associated with panic in children