Constructive thinking skills and impulsivity dimensions in conduct and substance use disorders: differences and relationships in an adolescents' sample.

Impact of conduct disorder (CD) and substance use disorder (SUD) on constructive thinking skills and impulsivity was explored. 71 offending adolescents were assessed for CD and SUD. Furthermore, the constructive thinking inventory, the immediate and delayed memory tasks and the UPPS impulsive behaviour scale were administered. Results showed that youths with CD, independently from SUD, presented higher personality impulsivity (urgency) and altered constructive thinking skills (categorical thinking and personal superstitious thinking). Furthermore, trait-impulsivity explained variation in constructive thinking skills. The implications of these results were discussed

Specific Contributions of Age of Onset, Callous-Unemotional Traits and Impulsivity to Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Youths with Conduct Disorders.

Youths with conduct disorders (CD) are particularly studied for their violent and aggressive behaviors. Many researchers considered aggressive behaviors as being either reactive or proactive. Moreover, factors such as age of CD onset, impulsivity, and callous-unemotional traits, separately, have been related to these different types of aggressive behaviors. However, very few studies addressed the combined contribution of these three factors on proactive and reactive aggression. This question was tested in a sample composed of 43 male adolescents with CD. A single regression analysis including all predictors and outcomes, using Bayesian statistics, was computed. Results indicated that impulsivity was related to reactive aggression, while CU traits were related to proactive aggression. These results suggest first, an important heterogeneity among youth with CD, probably leading to different trajectories and, second, that youths with callous-unemotional traits should receive special attention and care as they are more at risk for proactive aggression

Processus psychologiques de gestion du stress et régulation neuroendocrinienne chez les adolescents délinquants en institution fermée : une étude pilote [Psychological processes of stress management and neuroendocrine regulation in incarcerated adolescent offenders: A pilot study]

Adolescence is a stressful period where important biological, psychological and social changes occur. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable during this developmental period and can use various strategies to deal with daily stress, such as substance use or externalizing behaviors. In previous studies, stress in adolescents with externalizing behaviors was often linked to ineffective cognitive coping strategies (i.e., constructive thinking) and overlooking the biological aspects involved in stress management such as neuroendocrine regulation. Indeed, repeated activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in chronic stress situations may have long-term effects on subsequent cortisol regulation and lead to psychological difficulties. It was also shown that basal cortisol levels are lower in adolescents with externalizing behaviors. This study aims to assess the links between constructive thinking and neuroendocrine regulation in adolescent offenders and their association with externalizing symptoms (e.g., aggression, delinquency, psychopathic traits, substance use). Identifying particular biopsychological patterns can help to better understand stress management in youth with externalizing behaviors and to improve clinical treatments. Sixteen adolescent males aged from 12 to 18 years were recruited in an institution for juvenile offenders. Exclusion criteria were insufficient reasoning abilities assessed using the Raven Matrices Test. Regarding psychological dimensions, constructive thinking was assessed through the Constructive thinking inventory (CTI), psychopathic traits through the Youth psychopathic traits inventory (YPI), externalizing behaviors through 30 items (out of 113) and 2 subscales (aggressive behavior and delinquency problems) from the Child behavior checklist-youth self-report (CBCL), and substance use through the Dep-ado. Regarding biological dimensions, cortisol daily secretion and regulation were assessed through saliva samples that were collected during 3 consecutive days (4 samples per day: directly after awakening, at 10 a.m., at 4 a.m., and before going to bed). Adolescent offenders presented maladaptative thinking styles and a particular neuroendocrine regulation in their daily management with stress. In particular, their level of cortisol in the morning was higher than those expected in a general population (20.34 nmol/L while the norm is around 10 nmol/L). They also showed more agressive and delinquent behaviors (CBCL) as well as more psychopathic traits (YPI) than the general population. Moreover, constructive thinking style was associated with personality and behavioral dimensions. Indeed, results indicated positive and significant correlations between categorical thinking style (CTI), psychopathic traits (YPI) (r=0.57, P=0.021) and externalizing behaviors (CBCL) (r=0.55, P=0.028). In other words, the more adolescent offenders used categorical thinking, the more they presented psychopathic traits and externalizing behaviors. With respect to the association between psychological and biological dimensions in stress management, we observed a significant and positive correlation between cortisol regulation and esoteric thinking (r=0.57, P=0.028) and a trend with superstitious thinking (r=0.47, P=0.075). The more adolescent offenders used esoteric and superstitious thinking, the poorer was their cortisol regulation. We also observed a trend between the life style scale of the YPI (i.e., impulsive, irresponsible) and the daily secretion of cortisol (r=0.51; P=0.052) as well as cortisol regulation (r=0.49, P=0.065). The more adolescent offenders presented psychopathic traits, the higher tended to be their daily secretion of cortisol and the poorer their cortisol regulation. Finally, cortisol regulation (r=0.54, P=0.038) and secretion (r=0.73, P=0.002) were significantly correlated with the DEP-Ado score. In other words, a poor cortisol regulation and a high secretion of cortisol seem to be associated with substance use. Adolescent offenders face an important amount of daily stress and do not always have the appropriate skills to deal with it. Indeed, we know from clinical experience that they often report a sense of hopelessness toward their lack of professional perspectives as well as familial conflicts which can be important stressors in addition to the incarceration in itself. Therefore, treatment aiming to improve psychic elaboration can help these adolescents to make their thinking styles more flexible and use more appropriate ways of coping with stress instead of externalizing behaviors and substance use. Moreover, considering the complex cases of these adolescents and the many changes of caregivers and institutions where they have lived, which can be important stressors as well, professionals working with these youth should be aware of their emotional reactions toward them and try to encourage continuity of care

Functional neuroimaging study of performances on a Go/No-go task in 6- to 7-year-old preterm children: Impact of intrauterine growth restriction ???

Children born preterm, and more specifically those with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), are prone to exhibit scholastic difficulties and behavioral problems later in development. Neuropsychological studies showed that their deficits in response inhibition and attention could be at the heart of these difficulties. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies using a Go/No-go task in preterm adolescents and adults suggest their use of an alternative neuronal pathway to compensate for a possible delayed development. However, little is known about the impact of IUGR at a functional neural network level. This study used fMRI to explore brain regions activated during a Go/No-go task in 20 preterm children aged 6-7 years, 10 of which were born with IUGR. Results showed that preterm children without IUGR preferentially activated fronto-temporal regions including the inferior frontal cortex, region known to be involved in successful response inhibition. In contrast, IUGR preterm children exhibited greater activation in the putamen, in the medial frontal cortex and parietal regions, specifically involved in attention demanding tasks, some being part of the default-mode network. These findings suggest that IUGR preterm children use different brain regions and a more diffuse network to perform the task, which interfere with goal-directed activity and may reflect inefficient attentional control. The differences observed in IUGR preterm children might relate to their higher risk for neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders

The impact of disease severity on the psychological well-being of youth affected by an inborn error of metabolism and their families: A one-year longitudinal study.

Inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) refer to rare heterogeneous genetic disorders with various clinical manifestations that can cause serious physical and psychological sequelae. Results of previous studies on the impact of an IEM on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) were incongruent and only few studies considered more broadly the psychological well-being of children with IEM and their families. Our objectives were to examine: (1) the impact of the IEM severity on the HR-QoL and psychological functioning of patients and their parents at baseline; and (2) its evolution over time; and (3) the correlation between parental and children's perspectives. Methods: The sample included 69 pediatric patients (mean age = 7.55 y, SD = 4.59) with evaluations at baseline and after one year. We collected data on HR-QoL, child mental health and emotional regulation as well as on parental mood and stress using different validated questionnaires. IEM severity was rated by a clinician through the biological subdomain of the pediatric INTERMED instrument. Results: Two groups of patients based on IEM severity scores were created (n = 31 with low and n = 38 with moderate/high IEM severity). The two groups differed with respect to age, diet and supplement intake. IEM severity had an impact on HR-QoL and behavioral symptoms in children, as well as on HR-QoL and stress in parents. For patients with moderate/high IEM severity, child and parental HR-QoL improved after 1-year of follow-up. We did not observe any significant difference between evaluations by patients versus parents. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that moderate/high IEM severity altered child and parental psychological well-being, but also revealed a significant improvement after one-year follow-up. This observation suggests that patients with a moderate/high IEM severity and their families benefit from the care of an interdisciplinary team including a child psychologist specialized in IEMs. Moreover, in patients with higher IEM severity there may also be more room for improvement compared to patients with low IEM severity. Future studies should focus on observations over a larger time span, particularly during adolescence, and should include objective measurements

Examination of the importance of age of onset, callous-unemotional traits and anger dysregulation in youths with antisocial behaviors.

Age of onset, callous-unemotional (CU) traits and anger dysregulation have separately been proposed as relevant factors in explaining the heterogeneity of antisocial behaviour (ASB). Taking a dimensional perspective, this study examined the specific contributions and the mutual influences (i.e., interactions) of these three characteristics on specific dimensions of ASB (i.e., criminal behaviours and externalizing symptoms). Assessments were conducted on 536 youths from institutions with the youth psychopathic traits inventory (CU traits), the Massachusetts youth screening instrument-second version (anger dysregulation), the criminology questionnaire (criminal behaviours) and the child behavior checklist (externalizing symptoms), rated by both the youths and their carers. Using Bayes as estimators, the results revealed that the number and frequency of crimes (and, more specifically, damage to property, property offenses and media crimes) were explained by a specific contribution of each factor (age of onset, CU traits and anger dysregulation). Additionally, the interactions between age of onset and CU traits or anger dysregulation were relevant predictors of some types of crimes (i.e., damage to property, property offences and media crimes). Furthermore, when rated by youths, externalizing symptoms were explained by CU traits and anger dysregulation. However, when rated by the carer, anger dysregulation was more important in explaining externalizing symptoms. This study highlights the importance of considering these factors altogether and the value of using a dimensional perspective when examining the structure of ASB in youths. Consequently, future classifications should take into account the mutual account of these characteristics, which were previously studied separately

Cognitive Working Memory Training (CWMT) in adolescents suffering from Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A controlled trial taking into account concomitant medication effects.

Although, cognitive working memory training (CWMT) has been reported to enhance working memory functioning in youths with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), few studies take into account the concomitant effects of medication. Sixty adolescents aged from 11 to 15 years were randomly assigned to CWMT treatment, whereas medication was either continued or not introduced (no randomization performed). Results revealed beneficial effects of CWMT on the different components of working memory (WM), namely the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad and the central executive. In particular, CWMT allowed participants to obtain a level of performance similar to the typically-developing adolescents for the phonological loop (i.e., forward digit span) as well as for the visuospatial sketchpad (i.e., board span). For the central executive (i.e., backward digit span) the concomitant effects of CWMT and medication allows participants to obtain the performance level of the typically-developing adolescents. Although, no transfers were observed with respect to other cognitive functions, in medicated patients with ADHD, CWMT reduced hyperactivity / impulsivity symptoms at 2-month follow-up. The present study gives evidence of the efficacy of CWMT to enhance WM performance, as well as, to reduce symptoms. The overall results highlight the usefulness of multimodal interventions

Faces presenting sadness enhance self-control abilities in gifted adolescents.

Self-regulation skills refer to processes allowing emotional and cognitive adaptation of the individual. Some gifted adolescents are known for their imbalance between high intellectual abilities and low emotional skills. Thus, this study aimed at examining the interplay between emotion and cognition in gifted and non-gifted adolescents. A stop-signal task, a response inhibition task including neutral, happy, or sad faces as signal triggering inhibition, was administered to 19 gifted and 20 typically developing male adolescents (12-18 years old). Gifted adolescents showed lower response inhibition abilities than non-gifted adolescents in the neutral and happy face conditions. Sad faces in gifted adolescents were associated with higher response inhibition compared to happy condition. In typically developing adolescents, emotional information (happy or sad faces) was related to lower response inhibition compared to neutral face condition. This study highlights that gifted adolescents present different self-regulation skills than their typically developing peers. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Some gifted adolescents present higher intellectual abilities alongside with lower socio-emotional skills. Self-regulation skills refer to processes allowing emotional and cognitive adaptation. Self-regulation skills might help to understand gifted adolescents, but remain scarcely studied. What does this study adds? Task-relevant emotional information impaired cognitive control in typically developing adolescents. Gifted adolescents are able to use sad faces to enhance their cognitive control abilities

Low subjective social status in the police is linked to health-relevant changes in diurnal salivary alpha-amylase activity in Swiss police officers.

The objective of this study was to assess basal autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity as a pathway linking subjective social status to health in a high-demand work environment. It was hypothesized that officers with a lower status experienced more chronic stress (higher basal ANS activity) and that chronic stress was related to more health problems. Fifty-six male and female Swiss police officers self-reported on subjective social status (country, community, friends, police) and their health (depression, post-traumatic stress, physical symptoms) and collected 12 saliva samples over two days for basal α-amylase activation (sAA) assessment. Multilevel regression analyses revealed that subjective social status in the police and physical symptoms explained a significant part of the variance in diurnal sAA activity patterns. The current findings support the idea that more narrowly defined subjective social status may be more closely linked to biological stress mechanisms. Additionally, sAA activity was specifically related to physical, but not mental health problems. These results suggest that subjective social status referencing one's work environment may be a promising early indicator of health-relevant changes in stress-related physiological systems