Maternal verbally aggressive behavior in early infancy is associated with blood pressure at age 5-6.

Early life stress has been shown to contribute to alterations in biobehavioral regulation. Whereas many different forms of childhood adversities have been studied in relation to cardiovascular outcomes, very little is known about potential associations between caregivers' verbally aggressive behavior and heart rate and blood pressure in the child. This prospective study examined whether maternal verbally aggressive behavior in early infancy is associated with heart rate or blood pressure at age 5-6. In the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study, a large prospective, population-based birth cohort, maternal verbally aggressive behavior was assessed by questionnaire in the 13th week after birth. The child's blood pressure and heart rate were measured during rest at age 5-6 (n=2553 included). Maternal verbally aggressive behavior in infancy was associated with a higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) both in supine and sitting position after adjustment for sex, height and age (SBP supine B=1.01 mmHg; 95% CI [0.06; 1.95] and SPB sitting B=1.29 mmHg; 95% CI [0.12; 2.46]). Adjustment for potential confounding variables, such as other mother-infant dyad aspects, family hypertension and child's BMI, only slightly attenuated the associations (SBP supine B=0.99 mmHg; 95% CI [0.06; 1.93] and SPB sitting B=1.11 mmHg; 95% CI [-0.06; 2.27]). Maternal verbally aggressive behavior was not associated with diastolic blood pressure or heart rate at age 5-6. Maternal verbally aggressive behavior might be an important early life stressor with negative impact on blood pressure later in life, which should be further investigated. Possible underlying mechanisms are discussed.

Inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour as relevant concepts in referred home reared children.

BACKGROUND: Disorders of attachment and social engagement have mainly been studied in children, reared in institutions and foster care. There are few studies amongst home reared children living with biological parents. The aim of this study was to test the clinical significance of inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour in young home reared children, referred for treatment of emotional and behavioural problems, compared with young children in treatment foster care. METHODS: The Disturbances of Attachment Interview, Maltreatment Classification System, the Child Behaviour Checklist and Parenting Stress Index were used in 141 referred home reared children and 59 referred foster children, aged 2.0-7.9 years (M = 4.7, SE = 1.3), 71% boys. RESULTS: Inhibited attachment behaviour was less prevalent in the referred home reared group (9%) than in the foster care group (27%). Disinhibited social engagement behaviour was found in 42% of the home reared group, similar to the foster care group. Inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour were not associated with child maltreatment. More inhibited attachment behaviour was associated with clinical levels of child internalizing and externalizing behaviour in the home reared group, not in the foster care group. In both groups, more disinhibited social engagement behaviour was associated with clinical levels of externalizing behaviour and with more parenting stress. CONCLUSIONS: Even without evident links to maltreatment, results of this study suggest clinical significance of inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour in young home reared children referred for treatment of emotional and behavioural problems.

Prevalence, impact and cultural context of psychotic experiences among ethnic minority youth.

BACKGROUND: The risk for psychotic disorders is increased for many ethnic minority groups and may develop in early childhood. This study investigated whether the prevalence of psychotic experiences (PE) with high impact is higher among ethnic minority youth compared to majority youth and examined the significance of these PE. METHOD: A school-based study assessed a large community sample of 1545 ethnic minority and majority children in The Netherlands (mean age 12.98 ± 1.81 years). The Dutch (n = 702, 45.4%), Moroccan-Dutch (n = 400, 25.9%) and Turkish-Dutch (n = 170, 11.0%) ethnic groups could be studied separately. Self-report questionnaires on PE, impact and cultural context were administered. RESULTS: Prevalence of PE with high impact was 3.1% in Dutch, 9.5% in Moroccan-Dutch and 7.1% in Turkish-Dutch youth. Compared to Dutch youth, odds ratios were 3.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-5.1] for Moroccan-Dutch youth and 2.2 (95% CI 1.1-4.6) for Turkish-Dutch youth. Differences were not explained by cultural or religious differences. CONCLUSIONS: The increased risk for psychotic disorders in ethnic minorities may already be detectable in childhood, since PE with high impact were more common among ethnic minority youth compared to majority youth. The additional measurement of impact of PE appears to be a valid approach to identify those children at risk to develop psychotic or other more common psychiatric disorders.

Fear conditioning, persistence of disruptive behavior and psychopathic traits: an fMRI study.

Children diagnosed with Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD), especially those with psychopathic traits, are at risk of developing persistent and severe antisocial behavior. Deficient fear conditioning may be a key mechanism underlying persistence, and has been associated with altered regional brain function in adult antisocial populations. In this study, we investigated the associations between the neural correlates of fear conditioning, persistence of childhood-onset DBD during adolescence and psychopathic traits. From a cohort of children arrested before the age of 12 years, participants who were diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Conduct Disorder in previous waves (mean age of onset 6.5 years, s.d. 3.2) were reassessed at mean age 17.6 years (s.d. 1.4) and categorized as persistent (n=25) or desistent (n=25) DBD. Using the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory and functional magnetic resonance imaging during a fear conditioning task, these subgroups were compared with 26 matched healthy controls from the same cohort. Both persistent and desistent DBD subgroups were found to show higher activation in fear processing-related brain areas during fear conditioning compared with healthy controls. In addition, regression analyses revealed that impulsive-irresponsible and grandiose-manipulative psychopathic traits were associated with higher activation, whereas callous-unemotional psychopathic traits were related to lower activation in fear-related areas. Finally, the association between neural activation and DBD subgroup membership was mediated by impulsive-irresponsible psychopathic traits. These results provide evidence for heterogeneity in the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychopathic traits and antisocial behavior and, as such, underscore the need to develop personalized interventions.

A longitudinal biosocial study of cortisol and peer influence on the development of adolescent antisocial behavior.

It is increasingly recognized that in order to understand the complex phenomenon of antisocial behavior, interrelations between biological and social risk factors should be taken into account. In the current study, this biosocial approach was applied to examine the mediating role of deviant peers in longitudinal associations linking the level of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity to aggression and rule-breaking. Participants were 425 boys and girls from the general population, who were assessed yearly at ages 15, 16, and 17. As a measure of HPA axis activity, cortisol was assessed at awakening, 30, and 60 min later (the cortisol awakening response, CAR). Participants, as well as their best friend, reported on their own aggressive and rule-breaking behavior, thereby allowing to assess bidirectional influences within friendships. Aggression was only predicted by a decreased cortisol level at awakening, and not by aggressive behavior of their friend. Decreased levels of cortisol at awakening predicted adolescents' rule-breaking, which subsequently predicted increased rule-breaking of their best friend. The latter was only found for adolescents who changed friends, as compared to adolescents with the same friend in every year. Gender differences were not found. These findings suggest that interrelations between biological and social risk factors are different for the development of aggression versus rule-breaking. Furthermore, decreased levels of HPA axis activity may represent a susceptibility to selecting deviant peers.

Detained adolescent females' multiple mental health and adjustment problem outcomes in young adulthood.

BACKGROUND: Although prior studies have shown that detained females are marked by significant adverse circumstances, little is known about their adult outcomes. METHOD: Prospective follow-up study of 184 (80.4% of original sample of 229) detained adolescent females who were reassessed 4.5 (SD=0.6) years later in young adulthood (mean age=20.0, SD=1.4) on mental health and adjustment outcomes. Associations between these outcomes and detained females' behavior problems and offense history were examined. RESULTS: In the total sample, 59.0% had one or more mental health problems at follow-up, whereas 96.2% were facing at least one adjustment problem. Subjects with a personality disorder (PD) reported more adjustment problems compared to subjects without PD. Mental health and adjustment problems in young adulthood were predicted by detained adolescent females' behavior problems and offense history. CONCLUSION: Detained adolescent females suffered from multiple mental health and adjustment problems in young adulthood. Females who developed PD were most impaired. Results of this study underline the compelling need for continued and gender-specific interventions. The identification of predictors during detention for poor adult outcomes can serve as targets for intervention.

Parent-reported attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and subtypes of conduct disorder as risk factor of recidivism in detained male adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Parents are considered to be crucial informants in child psychiatry, particularly for disorders in which age of onset is included in the diagnostic criteria. In detained adolescents, however, parents all too often are difficult to reach or reluctant to cooperate. The clinical relevance of gathering parental information in this context should therefore be demonstrated. This study examines if parent reports of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and age of onset subtypes of conduct disorder (CD) predict official criminal recidivism. METHOD: Participants were 110 detained male adolescents from all three Youth Detention Centers in Flanders. Between January 2005 and February 2007, both youth and a parent were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV. Two to 4 years later, information on criminal recidivism was retrieved. RESULTS: Youth self-reported ADHD and CD (subtypes) were not related with recidivism. Parent-reported ADHD, CD and childhood-onset CD predicted serious property recidivism, while parent-reported adolescent-onset CD predicted future violent arrests. In reverse, childhood-onset CD as reported by parents was negatively associated with violent recidivism. CONCLUSION: Obtaining parental diagnostic information in delinquent adolescents is crucial for predicting recidivism. This finding emphasizes the need of including parents when studying mental disorder in detained adolescents.

The validity of questionnaire self-report of psychopathology and parent-child relationship quality in juvenile delinquents with psychiatric disorders.

The present study focuses on the validity of questionnaire self-report of psychopathology and parent-child relationship quality for juvenile delinquents with severe behavioural and psychiatric disorders by comparing information derived from questionnaire self-report with information from other sources, including parent report, in-depth interviewing, behavioural observation by clinicians, and official criminal records. The sample consisted of N=33 juvenile delinquents with psychiatric disorders. The juvenile delinquents did not report increased levels of psychopathology or poor relationships with their parents, which is inconsistent with the fact that all juvenile delinquents were in day treatment for severe behavioural maladaptation and relationship problems. Moreover, parent ratings of psychopathology were consistently in the clinical range and relationship quality was evaluated as very poor by the parents (d>.80). We conclude that screening instruments for psychopathology and assessment of relationship quality relying on questionnaire self-report may not yield valid scores in this (extreme) population of juvenile delinquents.

The ability of YSR scales to predict DSM/DISC-C psychiatric disorders among incarcerated male adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the empirical or DSM-oriented scales of the Youth Self-Report (YSR) can be used to screen for DSM psychiatric disorders among incarcerated boys. DSM-oriented scales have recently been developed by Achenbach to enhance comparability of YSR results with DSM diagnostic categories. METHOD: A representative sample (N = 196) of incarcerated boys aged 12-18 was assessed with the child version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-C) to diagnose DSM psychiatric disorders, and with the Youth Self-Report (YSR). RESULTS: Only 22% had YSR total problem scores in the clinical range, whereas 90 % met criteria of at least one DSM/DISC-C psychiatric disorder. Weak associations between both empirical and DSM-oriented YSR scale scores and DSM/DISC-C diagnoses were found. CONCLUSIONS: Neither the empirical nor the DSM-oriented YSR scales adequately screen for DSM/DISC-C psychiatric disorders among incarcerated boys. The use of the YSR and the DISC-C to assess DSM constructs results in, at least partially, different diagnostic information.

Forensic assessment of juvenile delinquents: prevalence of psychopathology and decision-making at court in the netherlands.

Dutch juvenile criminal law, concerning minors between 12 and 18 years old, is marked by its pedagogical character. In cases of serious psychosocial problems or psychiatric disorders, the juvenile court may request a forensic examination in order to be able to impose a measure of restraint. This study was aimed at investigating to what extent the juvenile criminal law achieves the aim enhancing professional help in those cases for which such assistance is indicated. One hundred and eight juveniles who were brought before the court were assessed multidisciplinarily. Sixty-five per cent of the youngsters were qualified for 'definite caseness'. For less than half of them a forensic assessment was ordered by the court. In conclusion, young delinquents should be screened for psychiatric disorders more adequately as soon as they are taken into custody.

Girls in detention: what are their characteristics? A project to explore and document the character of this target group and the significant ways in which it differs from one consisting of boys.

In this article, the differences between male and female juvenile delinquency are discussed, from a behavioural and psychiatric perspective. At first the existence and nature of female juvenile delinquency is described. Further a, mostly literature-based, analysis of gender-related differences in juvenile delinquency and psychopathology is presented. Finally the results are given of a dossier research project into the behavioural aspects of female juvenile delinquency. Girls commit fewer and less serious offences. Girls in a detention centre are younger than boys in the same centre. Few Turkish and Moroccan girls are seen. The majority of girls are placed in a detention centre by a Civil Court Order. A relatively high percentage of retarded girls was found. Multiple sexual contacts from an early age, substance abuse, running away from home and truancy are risk behaviours in the development of female juvenile delinquency. In the majority of cases there was no record of previous contacts with the law. It seems as if there are gender-related factors according to the development of female juvenile delinquency. Answers on age-differences, early sexual development, the relation between behaviour and psychiatric diagnosis, the role of the risk behaviours in the development of the girls, intelligence and the reasons for placing girls in a detention centre should throw light on the development process of female juvenile delinquents.