Roots of Anxiety: The role of cardiovascular regulation and cortisol in the development of anxiety in early adolecence

Since anxiety problems occur frequently, result in considerable suffering and impairment, and tend to persist over time, it is important to investigate putative underlying mechanisms. The aim of the present thesis was to extend the existing knowledge on the aetiology of anxiety by examining the role of two physiological stress response systems, the autonomic nervous system (ANS; consisting of the sympathetic and parasympathetic/vagal branche) and the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA)-axis, in the development of anxiety in early adolescence. The general idea is that some individuals are characterised by increased (re)activity of these two systems; they are more sensitive to stressors than others (so called ‘hyperaroused’). This increased sensitivity might put them at risk for future anxiety problems. In Chapter 1, the theoretical background and the main research questions were presented. The main research questions were: 1) Is anxiety associated with signs of hyperarousal, whereas depression is not? 2) Are high cortisol levels associated with high anxiety levels and is the persistence of anxiety problems associated with high cortisol levels? 3) Do measures of ANS (re)activity predict future anxiety levels, and are such associations different between boys and girls, and specific for anxiety, as apart from depression? 4) Do cortisol measures predict future anxiety levels, and are distinct developmental pathways of anxiety assoc

Psychometric Properties of Psychosexual Functioning Survey Among Autistic and Non-autistic Adults:Adapting the Self-Report Teen Transition Inventory to the U.S. Context

Psychosexual functioning is an important aspect of human development and relationships. A previous study investigated psychosexual functioning of autistic adolescents using the Teen Transition Inventory (TTI), but there is a lack of comprehensive measurement of psychosexual functioning among autistic and non-autistic (NA) adults. To address this gap, the current study adapted the self-report TTI to the Psychosexual Functioning Survey (PSFS) and presented it to 131 autistic (n = 59) and NA adults (n = 72) in the U.S. Comparisons of psychometric properties between the original TTI and the PSFS are shared; the developmental relevancy among some items was changed, and the alphas indicated a difference in the content of certain scales. Differences emerged between autistic and NA adults in both the intra- and interpersonal domains of psychosexual functioning, but not in sexual and intimate behaviors. The findings suggest the persistence of differences from adolescence to adulthood between autistic and NA people and highlight the importance of understanding the unique experiences of adults in psychosexual functioning relative to diagnostic status.</p

Psychometric Properties of Psychosexual Functioning Survey Among Autistic and Non-autistic Adults:Adapting the Self-Report Teen Transition Inventory to the U.S. Context

Psychosexual functioning is an important aspect of human development and relationships. A previous study investigated psychosexual functioning of autistic adolescents using the Teen Transition Inventory (TTI), but there is a lack of comprehensive measurement of psychosexual functioning among autistic and non-autistic (NA) adults. To address this gap, the current study adapted the self-report TTI to the Psychosexual Functioning Survey (PSFS) and presented it to 131 autistic (n = 59) and NA adults (n = 72) in the U.S. Comparisons of psychometric properties between the original TTI and the PSFS are shared; the developmental relevancy among some items was changed, and the alphas indicated a difference in the content of certain scales. Differences emerged between autistic and NA adults in both the intra- and interpersonal domains of psychosexual functioning, but not in sexual and intimate behaviors. The findings suggest the persistence of differences from adolescence to adulthood between autistic and NA people and highlight the importance of understanding the unique experiences of adults in psychosexual functioning relative to diagnostic status.</p

See the self through others' eyes:The development of moral emotions in young children with autism spectrum disorder

Despite the important social functions of moral emotions, they are understudied in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population. This three-wave longitudinal study is among the first to examine the development of moral emotions and their associations with theory of mind in 3- to 7-year-old children with ASD, using observational tasks. One hundred and forty-two children (52 with ASD) were followed over a period of 2 years. We found that while the expressions of shame and guilt remained stable in non-ASD children, they decreased with age in children with ASD. No group differences were found in the levels or the developmental trajectories of pride. Besides, better false-belief understanding was uniquely related to the expressions of pride in children with ASD. Our findings highlight the importance of enhancing understanding of moral emotion development and related factors in children with ASD.</p

'I'm Always on the Lookout for What Could be Going Wrong': Mothers' Concepts and Experiences of Health and Illness in Their Young Children

Mothers in contemporary western societies are expected to adhere to the principles of intensive parenting, spending a great deal of time and effort caring for their children, protecting them from risks and promoting their health, development and wellbeing. This paper draws upon research involving indepth interviews with 60 mothers of infants and young children living in Sydney. The discussion focuses in detail on three major topics discussed in the interviews: how the interviewees conceptualised good health and illness in their children; the role of diet and physical exercise in promoting children’s good health; and space, physical safety and bad influences. The study found that the interviewees reported that they ‘read the signs’ of their children’s bodies and had to ‘know’ their bodies intimately in order to do so. They also interpreted the signals of their own bodies – their ‘gut instincts’ – as part of the process of maintaining careful surveillance of their children’s health state. They represented diet and physical exercise as the most important dimensions of promoting their children’s health, and were very concerned about the risk of obesity in their children. Notions of space and judgements about the bodies within these spaces were also important to some of the women’s concepts of protecting their children’s health and wellbeing.Australian Research Council Discovery Gran

Psychometric Properties of the Dutch Contextual Assessment of Social Skills (CASS):An Independent Observational Outcome Measure of Social Skills in Autistic Adolescents

The goal of this study was to translate and adapt the original 9-item of the Contextual Assessment of Social Skills (CASS) to a Dutch version and assess its psychometric qualities. Autistic adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (n = 99) took part in a randomized controlled trial. In this study, pre-intervention data were utilized. The original CASS was adapted to ensure cultural relevance and the content validity was assessed. Data was used to assess reliability and structural validity, using confirmatory factor analysis. 4-item were added to the CASS during the adaptation to better align with the objectives of the experimental intervention. The original 9-item had inter-item correlations between.01 and.70. The Cronbach’s alpha for the original 4-item total score was moderate (α =.69), while for a 7-item total score, it was high (α =.86). This 7-item total score had a sufficient model fit (Comparative Fit Index =.90). This total score had a significant correlation with the Assertion subscale of the Social Skills Improvement System-Adolescent (SSIS-A) (r = 0.26, p &lt;.01), and the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2) total score (r = − .21, p =.04) indicating sufficient convergent validity. The CASS total score was not correlated with the Repetitive and Restricted Behavior scale of the SRS-2 (r = − .08, p =.43), indicating sufficient divergent validity. The Dutch CASS can be considered a conceptually sound and reliable observational instrument for assessing social conversational skills in Dutch autistic youth. Further evaluation of its feasibility when implemented in practice, outside of clinical research, is needed. Trial registration: Dutch trail register NTR6255 (NL6117) 08/02/2017 https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6117.</p

Reduced autonomic flexibility as a predictor for future anxiety in girls from the general population:The TRAILS study

The present present study investigated whether autonomic flexibility predicted future anxiety levels in adolescent boys and girls. This study is part of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a prospective cohort study of Dutch adolescents. The current study included a subsample of 965 individuals. Measures of autonomic flexibility, i.e., heart rate (HR) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), were determined during the first assessment wave (T1: participants 10-12 years old). Self-reported anxiety was assessed at the first and second assessment wave (T2: participants 12-14 years old). Possible gender differences and co-occurring depressive problems were examined. In girls, low RSA predicted anxiety levels 2 years later. In boys, no associations between HR and RSA and future anxiety were found. We conclude that in adolescent girls from the general population, signs of reduced autonomic flexibility (i.e., low RSA) predict future anxiety levels. Since the effect size was small, at this point, RSA reactivity alone cannot be used to identify individuals at risk for anxiety, but should be regarded as one factor within a large group of risk factors. However, if the present findings are replicated in clinical studies, intervention programmes - in the future - aimed at normalising autonomic functioning may be helpful. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.</p