Reciprocity between parental psychopathology and oppositional symptoms from preschool to middle childhood

Objective: Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a common disorder in preschool children. Evidence indicates that maternal and paternal psychopathology, particularly aggressive behavior and anxious and depressed symptoms, contributes to the development of this disorder. The latest research also suggests that ODD symptoms may exacerbate the mental health problems of parents. Our aim was to establish the existence of a reciprocal association between paternal and maternal psychopathology (aggression, depression, and anxiety) and child ODD at ages 3 and 8, using a longitudinal design in a community sample of preschoolers. Method: The sample included 331 children evaluated at ages 3 and 8 through questionnaires and a semistructured diagnostic interview with parents. Parents also informed about their own psychopathology. Results: At 3 years of age, higher levels of ODD symptoms in girls were concurrently associated with maternal anxious and depressed symptoms and paternal aggressive behavior, and higher levels of ODD symptoms in boys were concurrently associated with maternal aggressive behavior. Longitudinally, for boys, higher levels of maternal anxious and depressed symptoms at child age 3 predicted increases in ODD symptoms from 3 to 8 years of age. In addition, higher levels of ODD symptoms in boys aged 3-8 years predicted increases in fathers' anxious and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Children with ODD should be evaluated and treated promptly, but efforts should be extended to their parents. Mothers' and fathers' mental health must be explored because the psychopathologies of children and parents reciprocally affect each othe

Parental psychopathology levels as a moderator of temperament and Oppositional Defiant Disorder symptoms in preschoolers

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is among the most prevalent disorders in preschoolers. It has been linked to temperament, since characteristics such as elevated surgency and negative affect, as well as low levels of effortful control, contribute to the development of this disorder. Evidence also indicates that parental psychopathology can accentuate temperamental traits. Our aim was to assess whether the levels of psychopathology of mothers and fathers acts as a moderator of the relationship between temperament and ODD symptoms in preschoolers, both cross-sectionally at ages 3, 4 and 5, and longitudinally between ages 3 and 5. The sample included 550 children evaluated at ages 3, 4 and 5 through questionnaires and a semi-structured diagnostic interview with parents. Parents also answered a questionnaire about their own psychopathology. The results indicated that negative affect and effortful control are associated with higher levels of ODD symptoms in preschoolers. At child age 5, higher levels of paternal depression and anxiety increased the effect of low effortful control on ODD. High levels of negative affect and low levels of effortful control at age 3 were statistical predictors of ODD levels at age 5, and this relationship was also moderated by paternal anxiety and depression. The results have important clinical implications for the proper orientation of interventions, suggesting that interventions should integrate the paternal caregiver in the treatmen

Usefulness of the Social and Communication Disorders Checklist (SCDC) for the assessment of social cognition in preschoolers

This study provides data on the usefulness of the Spanish version of the Social and Communication Disorders Checklist (SCDC; Skuse et al., 1997), in terms of the validity and reliability of derived scores. Data were obtained from parents' interviews and parents' and teachers' questionnaires that measured different psychological variables from a community sample of 579 (291 boys and 288 girls), 5-year-old children. These children were tested to assess their intellectual capacity. Confirmatory factor analyses yield a one-dimensional structure invariant across sex within each informant (parents or teachers), with negligible latent mean differences between boys and girls for both informants (parents-teachers). The internal consistency was satisfactory (alpha values ≥ .85 for teacher version and ≥ .75 for parent version). SCDC scores correlated with specific scales related to developmental problems, aggressive behavior, executive functioning, and uncaring behavior toward others. SCDC scores were unrelated to intelligence quotient, whereas SCDC scores were associated with the presence of disruptive disorders, measured with diagnostic interview. Results provide evidence on reliability and validity of SCDC scores, which is potentially a useful measure for the study of social cognition and its relationship with preschool adjustmen

Clinical characteristics of preschool children with oppositional defiant disorder and callous-unemotional traits

There is a need to know whether callous-unemotional (CU) traits identify a more severe group of oppositional defiant children (ODD). The aim of this study is to ascertain cross-sectionally and longitudinally the specific contribution of CU levels and the presence of ODD in the psychological state of preschool children from the general population. A total of 622 children were assessed longitudinally at ages 3 and 5 with a semi-structured diagnostic interview and questionnaires filled out by parents and teachers. In multivariate models simultaneously including ODD diagnosis and CU levels, controlling by socioeconomic status, ethnicity, sex, severity of conduct disorder symptoms and other comorbidity, high CU scores were related to higher levels of aggression, withdrawn, externalizing and global symptomatology, functional impairment and higher probability of comorbid disorders and use of services. The contribution of CU traits on children's psychological state was not moderated by the presence/absence of ODD. Stability for CU traits and number of ODD-symptoms between ages 3 and 5 was statistically significant but moderate-low (intra-class correlation under .40). Assessment and identification of CU traits from preschool might help to identify a subset of children who could have socialization problems, not only among those with ODD but also among those without a diagnosis of conduct problem

Developmental trajectories of callous-unemotional traits, anxiety and oppositional defiant disorder in 3 - 7 year-old children in the general population

There is increasing interest in describing different variants and subtypes that characterize the heterogeneity of behavior problems with the aim of supporting early detection and prevention, as well as facilitating research into etiological differences. This work examines the course of co-occurrence of callous-unemotional traits (CU), anxiety (ANX) and oppositionality (ODD-s) levels in a longitudinal community sample. A sample of 622 3-year-old preschoolers, followed up until age 7, was assessed annually with dimensional measures of callous-unemotional traits, oppositional defiant disorder and anxiety and related psychological constructs answered by parents, teachers and performed by children. Growth-Mixture-Modeling yielded six trajectories (null 58.9%, ANXincreasing 4.9%, CU + ANX + ODD 2.4%, CU + ODD-decreasing 8.1%, ODD-increasing 16.4%, and ANX-decreasing 9.2%) that represent the variants previously described with older subjects. The specifier ODD "with limited prosocial emotion" (CU + ODD decreasing and increasing) showed deficits in executive functioning, attention, aggressive behavior and social cognition in comparison with null trajectory. The secondary variant showed a more severe clinical picture and presented more difficulties in executive functioning, worse environmental characteristics, and worse outcomes at age 7. It is possible to identify the heterogeneity of disruptive behavior problems from preschool age. The identification of homogeneous groups in this category of disorders may help to design more suitable treatments with specific components for specific difficulties, and to progress in the etiological research of each clas

Prevalence, comorbidity, functioning and long-term effects of subthreshold oppositional defiant disorder in a community sample of preschoolers

To study the prevalence of subthreshold oppositional defiant disorder (ST ODD)-less than 4 symptoms, but nonetheless an impairing form of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)-its coexistence with other homotypic externalizing and heterotypical internalizing problems in children and associated impairment, as well as the long-term effect of this condition. A population-based sample of 622 preschoolers (5.0% boys) was followed up from preschool to preadolescence. Parents were interviewed when the children were 3, 6 and 9 years old with the Diagnostic Interview for Preschoolers/Children and Adolescents versions following DSM-5 and the children's functioning was assessed by trained clinicians. ST ODD diagnosis is highly prevalent (19.4-25.5%), highly comorbid [homo- (1.9-18.4%) and heterotypical (5.8-23.7%)], resulting in functional impairment across child development in a similar way for both genders. ST is also a risk factor condition that predicts the presence of psychological problems and impairment in childhood and preadolescence from preschool age. A broader clinical assessment and intervention similar to that provided full syndrome cases is needed for children presenting subthreshold forms of OD

Life conditions during COVID-19 lockdown and mental health in Spanish adolescents

Spanish children were locked down for 72 days due to COVID-19, causing severe disruption to their normal life. The threat posed by COVID-19 continues and clinicians, administrators, and families need to know the life conditions associated with more psychological problems to modify them and minimize their effect on mental health. The goal was to study the life conditions of adolescents during lockdown and their association with psychological problems. A total of 226 parents of 117 girls and 109 boys (mean age: 13.9; Standard deviation: 0.28) from the community that were participants in a longitudinal study answered an online questionnaire about life conditions during lockdown and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Stepwise regression analyses controlling by previous reports of SDQ were performed. Conduct, peer, prosocial, and total problems scores increased after lockdown. After adjusting for previous measures of psychopathology, worse adolescents' mental health during COVID-19 lockdown was associated with unhealthy activities, worsening of the relationships with others, and dysfunctional parenting style. It seems important to mitigate psychological stress in a situation of isolation due to a state of emergency by keeping the adolescent active and maintaining their daily habits and routines in a non-conflictive atmosphere and give support to parent

Psychometric properties of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire - Preschool revision (APQ-Pr) in 3 year-old Spanish preschoolers

Parenting practices should be assessed and taken into account at an early age, since it is well documented that they are strongly related to children's development. This study provides data on the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire for Preschool children (APQ-Pr). A community sample of 622 (310 boys and 312 girls) 3 year-old children and their parents, participated in the study. Data were obtained from parents' reports and correspond to a semi-structured diagnostic interview and self-report questionnaires evaluating parenting and children's psychological states. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-factor solution: positive parenting, inconsistent parenting and punitive parenting. These scales scores showed moderate to good internal consistence (omega values ranged from .54 to .86). Inconsistent parenting scores achieved the strongest associations with external measures of psychopathology, especially for externalizing and conduct problems, as well as for functional impairment, the poorest associations being for the positive parenting scores. Results support the validity of the Spanish APQ-Pr, which is potentially a useful measure for the study of parenting practices regarding preschool children and their relation to conduct problems

How the Affective Reactivity Index (ARI) works for teachers as informants

Background: The Affective Reactivity Index (ARI) is a brief instrument originally designed as a self- and parent report. However, the view of teachers, who can observe social situations that may give rise to irritability, is relevant. The goal is to provide the measurement qualities of the ARI score as reported by teachers. Method: Children formed part of a longitudinal study on behavior problems in Barcelona (Spain) and they were assessed when they were 7 (N=471) and 11 years old (N=454) with questionnaires about psychopathology, anger and aggressive behavior, and a diagnostic interview answered by the parents, youths and teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance, reliability and validity were studied for the ARI answered by teachers. Results: The 6-item, 1-factor model fitted well. Almost full metric invariance and partial scalar invariance was obtained across sex and over age. The ARI scores largely converged with other teacher-reported measures of anger and irritability, and with other measures of psychopathology, aggressive behavior, and callousunemotional traits at a medium level. The associations with parent's measures were medium to low, and very low for child self-reported measures. The ARI scores significantly differentiated children with and without psychopathology and functional impairment, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Limitations: Only one child self-report measure of irritability included. Limited internal consistency of some scale scores. Findings are mostly generalizable to Spanish children. Conclusions: ARI could be a suitable instrument for measuring irritability as reported by teachers. The teacher's view can be useful when planning treatment by helping to identify treatment target

Factores de riesgo de los transtornos de ansiedad en la infancia y adolescencia : Una revisión

En esta revisión se presentan los hallazgos más importantes encontrados en la literatura sobre los factores de riesgo de los trastornos de ansiedad en la infancia y adolescencia. En primer lugar se describen aquellas variables disposicionales del niño como el temperamento, autoestima, sexo... que pueden constituir potenciales factores de riesgo de ansiedad. A continuación se hace referencia a factores de tipo genético, familiar, ambiental y social, para finalmente acabar presentando dos modelos que integran el conjunto de estos factores y así poder abordar de una forma más completa y comprensible la génesis de los trastornos de ansiedad en la infancia. Las conclusiones a las que se llega es que, pese el creciente conocimiento de los factores que intervienen en la gestación de los trastornos de ansiedad, la etiología de los mismos está todavía por conocer. Asimismo, se subraya la necesidad de considerar la confluencia o interacción entre múltiples factores de riesgo para explicar la etiología de estos trastornos, más que los efectos aislados que puedan estar ejerciendo cada uno de ellos sobre el individu