Children’s Internal Attributions of Anxiety-Related Physical Symptoms: Age-Related Patterns and the Role of Cognitive Development and Anxiety Sensitivity

The present study examined age-related patterns in children’s anxiety-related interpretations and internal attributions of physical symptoms. A large sample of 388 children aged between 4 and 13 years completed a vignette paradigm during which they had to explain the emotional response of the main character who experienced anxiety-related physical symptoms in a variety of daily situations. In addition, children completed measures of cognitive development and anxiety sensitivity. Results demonstrated that age, cognitive development, and anxiety sensitivity were all positively related to children’s ability to perceive physical symptoms as a signal of anxiety and making internal attributions. Further, while a substantial proportion of the younger children (i.e., <7 years) were able to make a valid anxiety-related interpretation of a physical symptom, very few were capable of making an internal attribution, which means that children of this age lack the developmental prerequisites for applying physical symptoms-based theories of childhood anxiety

The Effect of Raltegravir Intensification on Low-level Residual Viremia in HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

In a double-blind trial, Rajesh Gandhi and colleagues detect no significant reduction in viral load after people with low-level HIV viremia added an integrase inhibitor to their treatment regimen

Anxiety Sensitivity: Progress, Prospects, and Challenges

This book has shown that anxiety sensitivity (AS) appears to play an important role in many forms of psychopathology; it is especially important in identifying people at risk for panic attacks. Given the importance of AS, it com es as no surprise that it is attracting increasingly more attention from theorists, researchers, and clinicians. The construct of AS has become refined and elaborated over time. Herein, details of its structure have been elaborated (chap. 5) and its relationships to related variables have been clarified (chaps. 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7). Thus, AS is not an immutable construct; it is an open concept (cf. Pap, 1958, 1962). That is, it is a work in progress, amenable to refinement, elaboration, and other changes. This concluding chapter considers what are seen as some of the most important issues for further research. Our understanding of AS may be enhanced by addressing the following: Is AS best regarded as an entirely dimensional construct or are there categorical (taxonic) forms of AS?

Selective Mutism: A Review And Integration Of The Last 15 Years

Selective mutism (SM) is a rare childhood disorder characterized by a lack of speech in one or more settings in which speaking is socially expected. A comprehensive and uniform theory about the etiology, assessment, and treatment of SM does not exist. Historically, varying definitions and criteria have been applied to children with SM, therefore making comparisons between studies somewhat difficult. Accumulating findings on the phenomenology of SM point to a complex and multidetermined etiology. Developmental psychopathology represents a useful heuristic for conceptualization of SM and serves as an integrative framework for organizing the sometimes disparate findings that permeate the SM literature. The purpose of this review is to summarize the literature on SM, including phenomenology, assessment, and treatment, with the main goals of clarifying its clinical presentation, offering a theoretical understanding of SM from a developmental psychopathology perspective, and highlighting both research and practice gaps that may exist. Recommendations for future research are made with the goal of expanding the current knowledge base on the etiology of SM. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved