Psychosocial Features of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 in Children and Adolescents.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common neurologic condition associated with a wide variety of developmental deficits that have an important impact on children and adolescents. OBJECTIVE: This article aims to document the psychosocial features of NF1 and to report the interventions described to address the needs of pediatric patients with NF1. METHODS: A literature review was conducted concerning the social life, mental health, and quality of life (QOL) of children and adolescents with NF1 as well as the psychosocial interventions addressed to this population. RESULTS: Compared to unaffected children and adolescents of the general population, pediatric patients with NF1 have an increased risk of having social difficulties, mental health disorders, behavioral and emotional problems, as well as diminished QOL. Only 3 articles describe interventions within the NF1 population to address these difficulties. CONCLUSION: There is a need to develop and assess psychosocial interventions for patients with NF1.

Pubertal timing and depressive symptoms in late adolescence: the moderating role of individual, peer, and parental factors.

This longitudinal study examined personal-accentuation and contextual-amplification models of pubertal timing. In these models, individual and contextual risk factors during childhood and adolescence can magnify the effects of early or late puberty on depression symptoms that occur years later. The moderating role of prepubertal individual factors (emotional problems in late childhood) and interpersonal factors (deviant peer affiliation, early dating, perceived peer popularity, and perceived parental rejection during adolescence) were tested. A representative sample of 1,431 Canadian adolescents between 10-11 and 16-17 years of age was followed biannually. In line with the personal-accentuation model, early puberty has been shown to be a predictor for depression in both girls and boys who presented emotional problems in childhood. This effect was also noted for late maturing boys. Consistent with the contextual-amplification model, early puberty predicted later depression in youth who perceived greater parental rejection. Interpersonal experiences such as early dating in girls and deviant peer affiliation in boys predicted depression in early maturers as well. For girls, early dating was also found to be amplified by childhood emotional problems. In line with biopsychosocial models, results indicate that the effect of pubertal timing on depressive symptoms must be conceptualized through complex interactions between characteristics of adolescents' interpersonal relationships and prepubertal vulnerabilities.

Adolescents' perceptions of parental practices: a cross-national comparison of Canada, France, and Italy.

This study compares two dimensions of parenting-emotional bonding and control-as perceived by adolescents living in three countries: Canada (province of Québec), France, and Italy. A cross-sectional sample was composed of 1256 adolescents who filled out a self-report questionnaire. Multiple Correspondence Analyses provided a graphic synthesis of cross-cultural results. Results indicate that parents are perceived as highly emotionally bonded, yet the perception of parental control produced two contrasting models. Canadian adolescents perceive less control and disciplinary actions from parents, and more tolerance. Conversely, Italian adolescents perceive more requirements and rules, and stricter disciplinary actions, while French adolescents' perceptions fall between the two. Results also suggested a gradual decrease in the perception of parental control between the ages of 11 and 19 years across all three countries. This reduction in parental constraints is perceived earlier by Canadian adolescents and later by Italian adolescents.