Peer-Victimization and Mental Health Problems in Adolescents: Are Parental and School Support Protective?

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and effects of peer-victimization on mental health problems among adolescents. Parental and school support were assumed as protective factors that might interact with one another in acting as buffers for adolescents against the risk of peer-victimization. Besides these protective factors, age and gender were additionally considered as moderating factors. The Social and Health Assessment survey was conducted among 986 students aged 11–18 years in order to assess peer-victimization, risk and protective factors and mental health problems. For mental health problems, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used. Effects of peer-victimization on mental health problems were additionally compared with normative SDQ data in order to obtain information about clinically relevant psychopathology in our study sample. Results of this study show that peer-victimization carries a serious risk for mental health problems in adolescents. School support is effective in both male and female adolescents by acting as a buffer against the effect of victimization, and school support gains increasing importance in more senior students. Parental support seems to be protective against maladjustment, especially in peer-victimized girls entering secondary school. Since the effect of peer-victimization can be reduced by parental and school support, educational interventions are of great importance in cases of peer-victimization

Tensorial form and matrix elements of the relativistic nuclear recoil operator

Within the lowest-order relativistic approximation ($\sim v^2/c^2$) and to first order in $m_e/M$, the tensorial form of the relativistic corrections of the nuclear recoil Hamiltonian is derived, opening interesting perspectives for calculating isotope shifts in the multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock framework. Their calculation is illustrated for selected Li-, B- and C-like ions. The present work underlines the fact that the relativistic corrections to the nuclear recoil are definitively necessary for getting reliable isotope shift values.Comment: 22 pages, no figures, submitted to J. Phys.

An exploration into the impact of exposure to community violence and hope on children's perceptions of well-being: a South African perspective

The study aims to explore the relationship between exposure to community violence, hope, and well-being. More specifically, the study aims to ascertain whether hope is a stronger predictor of well-being than exposure to violence. Stratified random sampling was used to select a sample of 566 adolescents aged 14–17 years, from both high violence and low violence areas in Cape Town, South Africa. A questionnaire consisting of Snyder’s Children’s Hope Scale, the Recent Exposure to Violence Scale and the KIDSCREEN-52 was used. Data analysis techniques included descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple regression. A positive, significant relationship was found between children’s hope and their well-being. Although exposure to community violence was found to be significantly correlated with wellbeing, the relationship was negligible.While exposure to community violence and hope were found to be significant predictors of well-being, hope emerged as a stronger predictor of child well-being than exposure to community violence.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Executive functioning in children with autism and Tourette syndrome

The main aims of this study were to investigate if children with high-functioning autism (HFA) and children with Tourette syndrome (TS) can be differentiated in their executive functioning (EF) profile compared to normal controls (NCs) and compared to each other and to investigate whether children with HFA or children with TS and a comorbid group of children with both disorders are distinct conditions in terms of EF. Four groups of children participated in this study: HFA, TS, comorbid HFA + TS, and a NC group. All children were in the age range of 6 to 13 years. The groups were compared on five major domains of EF: inhibition, visual working memory, planning, cognitive flexibility, and verbal fluency. Children with HFA scored lower than NC children on all the EFs measured. Children with TS and NC children showed the same EF profile. The HFA group scored lower than the TS group for inhibition of a prepotent response and cognitive flexibility. Children with HFA performed poorer than children with comorbid HFA + TS on all functions, with the exception of inhibiting an ongoing response, interference control, and verbal fluency. Children with TS and children with comorbid HFA + TS could not be differentiated from one another in terms of EF. This study indicates that EF deficits are highly characteristic of children with HFA in comparison to children with TS and NC. The results suggest that for the comparison between HFA and TS groups, it is important to take into account comorbidity. A reevaluation of the EF hypothesis in children with TS is suggested. Copyright © 2005 Cambridge University Press

Adolescent suicidal ideation: a comparison of incarcerated and school-based samples

and risk-taking behavior. RESULTS: Suicidal ideations during the past year were reported by 21.5% of detained males, compared to 6.7% in the general population. In females, 58.1% of detained individuals reported suicidal thoughts during the past year, compared to 14.4% of the general population. In girls and boys from the general population, both internalizing and externalizing problems were higher in suicidal ideators than in non-suicidal youth, while in the detention group mainly internalizing problems were higher in suicidal ideators. When comparing detention suicidal ideators with those from the general population, male suicidal ideators scored higher on delinquency, while detained female suicidal ideators also scored higher on posttraumatic stress, but lower on prosocial beliefs. LIMITATIONS: Information used in this study was solely based on self-report measures only and limited to Flemish adolescents. CONCLUSION: Since suicidal ideation is a frequent problem in detained youth, adequate recognition and treatment seems clinically relevant. While both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology may be an indicator of suicidal ideation in the general population, internalizing problems may be the main clinical predictor in detained yout

The perception of disability by community groups: Stories of local understanding, beliefs and challenges in a rural part of Kenya

Cultural narratives on disability have received much attention over the past few decades. In contexts of poverty, limited information and everyday challenges associated with having, or caring for someone with a disability, different understandings have emerged. A project was set up to promote disability awareness in neighborhood communities in a rural part of Kenya, using a process of reflection and education. This paper reports on the first aspect–reflection. The aim was to investigate local understanding of disability as a co-constructed concept. The research questions were: 1. What cultural beliefs shape local understanding of disability? 2. What challenges are perceived to be associated with disability? A phenomenological approach was adopted. Focus group discussions were conducted with twenty-one community groups involving 263 participants and audio-recorded. The data were transcribed and thematic analysis was carried out. Visual maps were created to illustrate any interconnections, before establishing the final conclusions. Local beliefs attributed disability to: human transgression of social conventions, particularly concerning inappropriate family relations, which invoked a curse; supernatural forces affecting the child; the will of God; unexplained events; and biomedical factors. Challenges associated with disability related to the burden of caregiving and perceived barriers to inclusion, with stress as a shared bi-product. Local understanding of disability in this rural part of Kenya demonstrated overlapping explanations and plurality of beliefs. Two possible interpretations are offered. Firstly, oscillation between explanatory lines demonstrated instability, affecting broader acceptance of disability. Secondly, and more positively, in the face of challenges, the desire to make sense of the existing situation, reflected a healthy pluralism

Improving estimation of the prognosis of childhood psychopathology; combination of DSM-III-R/DISC diagnoses and CBCL scores [IF: 2.7]

Objective: To compare the predictive validity of the clinical-diagnostic and the empirical-quantitative approach to assessment of childhood psychopathology, and to investigate the usefulness of combining both approaches. Method: A referred sample (N=96), aged 6 to 12 years at initial assessment, was followed up across - on average - a period of 3.2 years. It was assessed to what extent DISC/DSM-III-R diagnoses - representing the clinical-diagnostic approach, and CBCL scores - representing the empirical-quantitative approach, predicted the following signs of poor outcome: outpatient/inpatient treatment, or parents' wish for professional help for the child at follow-up, disciplinary problems in school, and police/judicial contacts. Results: Both diagnostic systems added significantly to the prediction of poor outcome, and neither of the two systems was superior. Use of both systems simultaneously provided the most accurate estimation of the prognosis, reflected by the occurrence of future poor outcome. Even diagnostic concepts that are generally regarded as relatively similar, such as ADHD (DSM) and attention problems (CBCL), or conduct disorder (DSM) and delinquent behavior (CBCL), appeared to differ in their ability to predict poor outcome. Conclusions: The present study supports the use of the empirical-quantitative approach and the clinical-diagnostic approach simultaneously, both in research and in clinical settings, to obtain a comprehensive view of the prognosis of psychopathology in children. © Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2004

Association between infection early in life and mental disorders among youth in the community: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objective of this study was to examine the association between infection early in life and mental disorders among youth in the community.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were drawn from the MECA (Methods in Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent psychopathology), a community-based study of 1,285 youth in the United States conducted in 1992. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association between parent/caregiver-reported infection early in life and DSM/DISC diagnoses of mental disorders at ages 9-17.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Infection early in life was associated with a significantly increased odds of major depression (OR = 3.9), social phobia (OR = 5.8), overanxious disorder (OR = 6.1), panic disorder (OR = 12.1), and oppositional defiant disorder (OR = 3.7).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These findings are consistent with and extend previous results by providing new evidence suggesting a link between infection early in life and increased risk of depression and anxiety disorders among youth. These results should be considered preliminary. Replication of these findings with longitudinal epidemiologic data is needed. Possible mechanisms are discussed.</p

Natural Disaster and Risk of Psychiatric Disorders in Puerto Rican Children

We examined the persistence of psychiatric disorders at approximately 18 and 30 months after a hurricane among a random sample of the child and adolescent population (4–17 years) of Puerto Rico. Data were obtained from caretaker-child dyads (N = 1,886) through in person interviews with primary caretakers (all children) and youth (11–17 years) using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children IV in Spanish. Logistic regressions, controlling for sociodemographic variables, were used to study the relation between disaster exposure and internalizing, externalizing, or any disorder. Children’s disaster-related distress manifested as internalizing disorders, rather than as externalizing disorders at 18 months post-disaster. At 30 months, there was no longer a significant difference in rates of disorder between hurricane-exposed and non-exposed youth. Results were similar across age ranges. Rates of specific internalizing disorders between exposed and unexposed children are provided. Research and clinical implications are discussed