Longitudinal associations between response-style strategies and abnormal eating behaviors/attitudes in adolescents: a cross-lagged panel model.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that response-style strategies (rumination, problem-solving, and distraction) can be risk or protective factors for the development of abnormal eating behaviors/attitudes (AEB) during adolescence. However, due to limited empirical data regarding the prospective effects of these strategies on AEB, further research is needed to clarify their role in developing AEB in adolescence. METHODS: This study investigated the one-year lagged effects of response-style strategies on AEB in 24,883 fourth- to eighth-grade students in Japan between 2015 and 2019 using a cross-lagged panel model. Depressive symptoms and body mass index (BMI), which are reported to relate to AEB, were also included in the analytic model. The students self-reported their levels of response-style strategies, AEB, and depressive symptoms. We also evaluated BMI based on teachers' reports. RESULTS: We found that greater rumination significantly predicted more severe AEB in the following year among students from all grades, with small to moderate effect sizes. In addition, distraction significantly predicted more severe binge eating/purging behaviors, but with very weak small effect sizes. Problem-solving did not predict any level of AEB. Furthermore, we observed significant reciprocal relationships between response-style strategies, AEB, and depressive symptoms. Positive reciprocal associations between BMI and AEB were also found except for some intervals. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that a decrease in rumination is critical to alleviating mental health problems, such as AEB and depressive symptoms, during adolescence. This suggests that interventions to reduce the level of rumination should be conducted in the early stages of adolescence. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Not Applicable.

This study examines the effects of three response styles when faced with distress­rumination, problem-solving, and distraction­on unhealthy eating behaviors. In this study, we looked at how these coping strategies are linked to unhealthy eating behaviors in 24,883 students in grades four to eight in Japan between 2015 and 2019. We checked again at year-long intervals to see if the coping strategies had any effect on the students' unhealthy eating behaviors. In addition, we considered depressive symptoms and body mass index in our analysis because these variables might also be related to unhealthy eating behaviors. We found that more rumination (i.e., a repetitive negative thinking pattern) predicted the severity of unhealthy eating behaviors and depressive symptoms in the following year across all the grades. In addition, greater depressive symptoms also contributed to an increase in unhealthy eating behaviors in the following year. Therefore, we suggest that rumination is a key factor that influences mental health during adolescence.

Fine and gross motor skills predict later psychosocial maladaptation and academic achievement.

BACKGROUND: Difficulties in fine and gross motor skills are often overlooked as developmental problems, although approximately 6-13% of all school-age children have poor motor coordination. Understanding motor coordination is important from the perspective of school adaptation. This longitudinal cohort study aimed to determine whether fine and gross motor skills in preschool children predict later academic achievement and psychosocial maladaptation. METHODS & PROCEDURES: Participants were 2,501 children from nursery and elementary schools (5-13 years old). The motor skills of preschool children were assessed by their nursery teacher immediately before entering elementary school. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and a standardized Japanese test were administered annually throughout elementary school. RESULTS: Early motor difficulties in preschool children had significant effects on their academic achievement and psychosocial maladaptation up until the sixth grade. Gross motor difficulties in preschool were associated with the later peer problems and worsened emotional symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Motor skills in preschool children are useful as a predictor of later psychosocial maladaptation and academic achievement.

Examining simultaneous associations of four emotion regulation strategies with abnormal eating behaviors/attitudes in early adolescents.

Previous research has suggested that emotion regulation strategies (ERSs) are associated with abnormal eating behaviors and attitudes (AEBs). Available data have demonstrated that frequent rumination, a major maladaptive ERS, is associated with elevated AEBs, whereas adaptive ERSs, such as problem-solving and cognitive reappraisal, showed negative associations with AEBs. Most previous studies examined the association of a single ERS with AEBs. Therefore, any significant associations between an individual ERS and AEB reported in previous research might stem from spurious correlations. The current cross-sectional study sought to examine simultaneous associations of four ERSs (rumination, problem-solving, distraction, and cognitive reappraisal) with two categories of ED symptoms (i.e., drive for thinness and bulimic symptoms) in early adolescents in Japan (ages 10-15, N = 5301). Participants self-reported their use of the different ERSs and the ED symptoms. We found certain ERSs were uniquely associated with levels of drive for thinness and bulimic symptoms even after controlling for body mass index, depression, and socioeconomic status. Particularly, frequent rumination in both boys and girls was associated with a severe drive for thinness and bulimic symptoms. Regarding adaptive strategies, frequent uses of problem-solving was associated with decreased bulimic symptoms only in girls, with the effect size being small. In addition, contrary to our expectation, greater use of distraction was associated with elevated AEBs, except the association with drive for thinness in boys. Although this study extended findings of previous research, prospective studies are required to clarify the causal relationship between ERSs and eating pathology.

Correction: Adaptation of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) to preschool children.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199590.].

Adaptation of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) to preschool children.

The Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) is equipped with good properties for screening the broader phenotype of autistic traits, but it is standardized for a limited age range-from 7 to 16 years. To contribute to the early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), particularly in high functioning children with ASD, likely to cause maladjustments during school age, the present study examined psychometric properties to apply the ASSQ to a younger age. We tested parents' ASSQ ratings for preschool children in clinical (N = 154, average age 60.77 months, range 55-72 months) and community settings (N = 1390, average age 60.53 months, range 57-68 months) in Japan. The results showed, just as in school-aged children, the ASSQ had reliability and validity as a screening instrument for preschool children in community settings. A cut-off of 7 with sensitivity of 0.93 and specificity of 0.84 is recommended for community screening. Still, based on the current study with a clinical group, an optimal cut-off score with high sensitivity and high specificity for parents' ASSQ ratings could not be established. The clinicians should be reminded that the ASSQ is a screening instrument, not a diagnosing instrument. Also, this result suggest multi-faceted evaluation is necessary in clinical settings, for example, the addition of teachers' ratings.

Coordination difficulties in preschool-aged children are associated with maternal parenting stress: A community-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Although coordination difficulties are sometimes observed even in children in the general population, no empirical studies have examined the impact of these difficulties on parenting stress. AIMS: The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between coordination difficulties and parenting stress in a community-based sample of preschool-aged children and their mothers. METHODS: The study included 1691 families. Mothers with 4- or 5-year-old children completed questionnaires about parenting stress and children's coordination difficulties, as well as traits associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). RESULTS: The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that coordination difficulties, and ADHD and ASD traits were each independent predictors of parenting stress. Among the significant predictive factors, impaired general coordination, as well as hyperactivity-impulsivity, showed a strong impact on parenting stress. In addition, a gender difference was observed in the manner in which coordination difficulties influenced parenting stress. CONCLUSIONS: Coordination difficulties in preschool-aged children in the general population increased maternal parenting stress (as did ADHD and ASD traits). This highlights the need to provide support for mothers who have children with coordination difficulties, even when there is no clinical diagnosis.

Psychometric properties of the Japanese ADHD-RS in preschool children.

BACKGROUND: Children with ADHD show multiple difficulties in their lives. Its early detection is important to provide timely intervention. AIMS: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the home and school form of the ADHD-Rating Scale-IV (P- and T-ADHD-RS) for screening five-year-olds with ADHD. METHODS: The parents and teachers of 838 children (452 boys, 386 girls; including 28 boys, 18 girls diagnosed ADHD) completed the ADHD-RS and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in a community health check-up. RESULTS: The P- and T-ADHD-RS confirmed the two-factor model (Inattention and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity) and internal consistencies (CFI=0.968, 980; RMSEA=0.049, 0.055; SRMR=0.030, 0.024; α=0.86-.93). Japanese boys and girls scored significantly lower in all scales of the P- and T-ADHD-RS (d=0.65-1.14, 0.36-0.59) than US children. The P-ADHD-RS showed higher accuracy in area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and positive predictive value (PPV) than the T-ADHD-RS (AUC=0.955, 0.692; sensitivity=89.13%, 30.23%; PPV=46.59%, 16.05%). IMPLICATIONS: The P-ADHD-RS shows good reliability and validity for screening children with possible ADHD in a community. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine its predictive validity of adaptation in their lives at school.

[Psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ): development of a short form].

We examined the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) and developed a short-form. This study included 157 children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD, ages 7-18, 128 boys) and 4,101 healthy controls (ages 7-15, 3,344 boys) from a general population with a controlled male-female ratio. Four factors (Unusual Interests, Sociality, Peer Relations, and Repetitive Behaviors) were extracted by exploratory factor analysis of control group data. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 4-factor model fit well with data for another sample of the control and ASD groups. Logistic analysis showed that the former 3 factors could significantly predict ASD diagnosis. Thus, a short form of the ASSQ was developed, consisting of 11 items for these 3 factors. This short form showed sufficient internal consistency and high discrimination power for ASD diagnosis that was comparable to that of the 22-item version. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated an optimal cut-off of 7 for the 22-item version (sensitivity .949, specificity .801) and 5 for the short-form (sensitivity .936, specificity .818).

Examining the relationships between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and developmental coordination disorder symptoms, and writing performance in Japanese second grade students.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and developmental coordination disorder symptoms and writing performance in Japanese second grade students from regular classrooms. The second grade students (N=873) in Japanese public elementary schools participated in this study. We examined a variety of writing tasks, such as tracing, copying, handwriting (Hiragana and Katakana), and spelling (Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji). We employed the Japanese version of the home form ADHD-rating scale (ADHD-RS) and the Japanese version of the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ-J) to assess the developmental characteristics of the participating children. Seven writing performance scores were submitted to a principal component analysis with a promax rotation, which yielded three composite scores (Spelling Accuracy, Tracing and Copying Accuracy, and Handwriting Fluency). A multiple regression analysis found that inattention predicted Spelling Accuracy and Handwriting Fluency and that hyperactive-impulsive predicted Handwriting Fluency. In addition, fine motor ability predicted Tracing and Copying Accuracy. The current study offered empirical evidence suggesting that developmental characteristics such as inattention and fine motor skill are related to writing difficulties in Japanese typical developing children.