Child Symptom Inventory Research Articles

Low perceived social support in mothers during pregnancy and early childhood; associations with anxiety and ADHD symptoms in children at 3 and 8 years.

Low perceived social support is associated with adverse effects on maternal mental health, and often coexists with other risk factors for offspring anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We aimed to investigate whether low maternal social support during pregnancy and early childhood predicted anxiety and ADHD symptoms in children at ages 3.5 and 8 years. This study is part of the longitudinal, population-based Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. Mothers were queried about perceived social support twice during pregnancy, and again at child ages 18 months and 3 years. They were interviewed about their children's symptoms of anxiety and ADHD at 3.5 years. At 8 years (n = 781), the Child Symptom Inventory-4 was used to identify children who fulfilled the criteria for anxiety disorders and ADHD. Logistic regression models estimated the risk of child anxiety and ADHD, depending on maternal social support. Low maternal social support predicted child anxiety symptoms at both ages 3.5 and 8 years as well as ADHD symptoms at 8 years. When including other maternal stressors and child risk factors, low maternal social support remained a significant predictor for child anxiety symptoms at 3.5 years, and there was a trend towards also predicting child anxiety and ADHD symptoms at 8 years. The associations between low maternal social support and child symptoms of anxiety and ADHD found in the present study, suggest that focusing on mothers with low social support may hold significance for child symptoms years later.

Hot and cold executive function among pediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with and without coexisting oppositional defiant disorder.

Executive function is a high-level set of cognitive processes related to goal-directed behaviors including two conceptual subtypes of hot (emotional) and cold (cognitive) executive function (to abbreviate EF). EF deficits in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) leads to significant social impairments in the home, school, and community. Today the type and the extent of executive function defects in ADHD are still debated in studies. We aimed to evaluate hot and cold executive function among medication-naive children with ADHD, with and without oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Forty-five children including suffering ADHD with ODD (n= 15), without ODD (n= 15), or typically developed (TD, n= 15) participated in this cross-sectional study (the age of children was between 7 and 12 years old). The Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) was used to screen behavioral and emotional symptoms. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised-Digit Span Task (WAIS-R-DST), Corsi Block Task (CBT), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were used for assessing cold executive function. Assessing hot executive function was done with Delay Discounting Task (DDT) and Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Evaluating the cold executive function, total WAIS-R-DST score, Backward DST, total CBT score, and Backward CBT were significantly lower among ADHD than TD groups (p< 0.05). Assessing the hot executive function showed that the score of DDT and IGT was significantly lower among ADHD than TD groups (p< 0.05). Both hot and cold executive functions are defective in children with ADHD, while the comorbid of ODD has no significant effect. We suggest the clinicians to consider cognitive rehabilitation interventions as a necessary treatment modality for ADHD patients.

Do maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms predict anxiety in children with and without ADHD at 8years?

Maternal anxiety and depression during pregnancy and early childhood have been associated with child anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, previous studies are limited by their short follow-up, few assessments of maternal symptoms, and by not including maternal and child ADHD. The present study aimed to fill these gaps by investigating whether maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms from pregnancy to child age 5years increase the risk of child anxiety disorders at age 8years. This study is part of the population-based Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. Maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL) six times from pregnancy through early childhood, and ADHD symptoms by the Adult Self-Report Scale (ASRS). At age 8years (n = 781), symptoms of anxiety disorders and ADHD were assessed, and disorders classified by the Child Symptom Inventory-4. Logistic regression models estimated the risk of child anxiety depending on maternal symptoms. The mothers of children classified with an anxiety disorder (n = 91) scored significantly higher on the SCL (at all time points) and ASRS compared with the other mothers. In univariable analyses, maternal anxiety and/or depression and ADHD were associated with increased risk of child anxiety (odds ratios = 2.99 and 3.64, respectively), remaining significant in the multivariable analysis adjusted for covariates. Our findings link maternal anxiety, depression, and ADHD during pregnancy and early childhood to child anxiety at age 8years.

The Relationship between Gene SLC6A3 Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (VNTR) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Objective : This research investigates the alleles of Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTR) intron 8 of the gene SLC6A3 with attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. Method : The study's target population consisted of children and adolescents referred to the specialized clinic, as well as students attending school in Rasht city during 2021-2022. A sample of 95 children between the ages of 6 and 10 with ADHD was selected as the ADHD group, and 95 healthy children were selected as the control group using purposive sampling. The subjects completed the Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) checklist after a clinical interview, and demographic information was collected. Genetic sampling was carried out through hair follicles. The sequence of interest was proliferated using the Polymerase Chain Reaction technique )PCR(; afterward, the samples were used for genotype identification on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results: The chi-square test results indicated that the 5R / 5R genotype (P = 0.026, χ2 = 7.26) and the 5R allele (P = 0.002, χ2 = 9.35) had a higher frequency compared to the control group. Additionally, the odds ratio test indicated that, compared to other genotypes and alleles, the 5R / 5R genotype (OR = 2.75, 95% CI = 1.29-5.82, P = 0.01) and the 5R allele (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.28-3.19, P = 0.002) increase the odds of developing ADHD by 2.7 and 2 times higher, respectively. Conclusion: The present study successfully showed the association between intron 8 gene polymorphism, which is responsible for encoding the dopamine transporter as well as ADHD in children and adolescents in Iran.

Behavioral and Psychiatric Health Problems in Iranian Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused the long-term quarantine of most children and adolescents. Behavioral and psychiatric health issues with child protection need to be evaluated in disasters. The present study aimed to examine the behavioral and psychiatric status of children and adolescents during the pandemic to address the effects of the pandemic and isolation on children’s and adolescents’ behavioral and psychiatric health. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out on 322 students aged 10–18 attending public high and elementary schools in Esfahan, Iran. The parents completed the Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4). Results: Findings showed that 58% of students met the criteria for all psychiatric symptoms except for autism and Asperger’s disorder, and 5% suffered from more than one comorbid category of psychiatric disorders. The most common psychiatric disorders in boys and girls were ADHD (18.5%), ODD (15%), ADHD-C (13.5%), GAD (12.8%), ADHD:HI (11.5), and MDD (10.8%). Conclusions: Since most participants suffered from at least one comorbid category of psychiatric disorders, developing a psychological crisis intervention is essential to protect children and adolescents from such disasters and minimize their mental health outcomes.

Anxiety and depression from age 3 to 8 years in children with and without ADHD symptoms

Childhood anxiety and depressive symptoms may be influenced by symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We investigated whether parent- and teacher-reported anxiety, depressive and ADHD symptoms at age 3 years predicted anxiety disorders and/or depression in children with and without ADHD at age 8 years. This study is part of the longitudinal, population-based Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Parents of 3-year-olds were interviewed, and preschool teachers rated symptoms of anxiety disorders, depression and ADHD. At age 8 years (n = 783), Child Symptom Inventory-4 was used to identify children who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders and/or depression (hereinafter: Anx/Dep), and ADHD. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used. In the univariable analyses, parent-reported anxiety, depressive and ADHD symptoms, and teacher-reported anxiety symptoms at age 3 years all significantly predicted subsequent Anx/Dep. In the multivariable analyses, including co-occurring symptoms at age 3 years and ADHD at 8 years, parent-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms remained significant predictors of subsequent Anx/Dep. At age 3 years, regardless of ADHD symptoms being present, asking parents about anxiety and depressive symptoms, and teachers about anxiety symptoms, may be important to identify children at risk for school-age anxiety disorders and/or depression.

The psychological symptoms and behavioral problems of children with mothers working as medical staff in the crisis of Covid-19 outbreak in Hamadan, Iran.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological symptoms and behavioral problems of children with mothers working as medical staff in the crisis of Covid-19 disease in Hamadan. This descriptive causal-comparative study was conducted on all mothers with children aged 6 to 12 years in Hamadan from September 2 to November 29, 2020. In this study, eligible individuals were selected using random sampling and were assigned to two groups of mothers working as the medical staff and the control group. The research instruments included the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach) and the Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4). The results showed that the mean scores of psychological and behavioral symptoms of children in terms of group membership (group of mothers working in the medical staff and control group) had a significant difference. There was a significant difference between the mean scores of depression and aggression in children of the staff group and the control group meaning that for depression and aggression scores of children of the staff group are higher than children of the control group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the mean anxiety scores and there was almost a significant difference between the attention scores of the staff group and the control group (p < 0.05). Children whose mothers worked as medical staff during Covid-19 show more depression, attention, and aggression problems than children whose mothers do not work as medical staff.

Emotional and Behavioral Problems among Preschool Children

It is essential to recognize the rapid pace of growth and maturation from birth to age 5, which has multiple implications for assessment and treatment. For the primary types of problem behaviour discussed in this chapter (i.e., disruptive and emotional problems), identification and diagnosis based purely on child behaviour have been shown to have limited stability and prognostic implications until at least 24 months of age. Objectives To assess psychological issues (behaviour and psychological problems) among preschool children and To find out the relationship between psychological issues with child and parent personal characteristics (age, gender, father life, mother live, father job, mother job, level of education, residence area, and monthly income). Methodology A descriptive design cross-sectional study was carried out throughout the present study to identify psychological issues among preschool children, starting from 1st February 2018 to 1st May 2018 in Najaf city. A non-probability purposive sample of (269) children with psychological issues among preschool children, who were children of the schools of education directorate at Najaf. The data are collected through the use utilization of the developed questionnaire and utilizing a checklist technique, which consists of two parts (1) A socio-demographic characteristics form that consists of 10 items (2) Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) is a DSM-IV-referenced rating scale that screens for emotional and behavioural symptoms of childhood disorders. Parent (97 items) and teacher versions (77 items). The CSI-4: Parent Checklist contains screens for 15 emotional and behavioural disorders, and the CSI-4: Teacher Checklist contains screens for 13 emotional and behavioural disorders. The CSI-4 can be scored to derive Symptom Count Scores or Symptom Severity scores. The reliability of the questionnaire is determined through a pilot study and the validity through a panel of (15) experts. Results The findings of the present study indicate that preschool children's socio-characteristics affect the emotional and behavioural problems domains. The maximal effect is presented by the father and mother characteristics domains. There is a significant relationship between a live father, alive mother, father job, and mother job with emotional and behavioural symptoms of childhood disorders domains. There is a non-significant relationship between the age of the child, gender, class number, and sequence of a child with emotional and behavioural symptoms of childhood disorders domains. Conclusion: The study concludes that the emotional and behavioural symptoms of childhood disorders most commonly occurs among preschool children in male than in the female child. Emotional and behavioural problems in children most occur at the age of five years. Behavioural problems in children do not affect a child's age, gender, and sequence. Also, the study confirmed that the behavioral problems of children affect negatively the parent's jobs. Recommendations The study recommends providing support for families of children with emotional and behavioural problems, especially psychological ones, and working on introducing caregivers to know wide information about the early detection of emotional and behavioural problems in children to prevent them and ways to deal with behaviours of odd and Family to Family Education Programs to existing services in community mental health programs. And health-oriented mass media approach should be employed by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education to increase population knowledge and awareness about emotional and behavioural problems among preschool children.

“They don’t understand how bad I feel”: Inconsistencies between mother-rated and self-rated symptoms of depression in autistic girls

BackgroundMost previous reports of the level of agreement between parents’ and their autistic children’s self-reports of the latter’s depression have used the total score from a scale. However, depression is a heterogeneous disorder, comprised of 10 discrete symptoms. This study examined carer-reports versus self-reports of depressive symptomatology in autistic girls. MethodFifty-three autistic girls and their mothers completed the Major Depressive Disorder subscale of the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory (4th ed). Data were examined at the individual symptom level, and also in terms of whether mothers under- or over-rated their daughter’s self-reports. ResultsAlthough about 15% of the mothers and daughters gave the same total score ratings, nearly 38% of mothers over-rated their daughters’ ratings, and more than 47% under-rated their daughters’ severity of depression scores. The autistic girls rated their change in activity and their change in sleeping more severely than their mothers did, but the mothers rated their daughters’ anhedonia more severely. ConclusionsAssessment of autistic girls depression symptom profiles may be less than completely accurate when based solely upon mothers’ information. The pattern of mother-daughter depression symptom inconsistencies suggests that individualised treatment planning for depression in autistic girls may be partially impeded by the possibility that these girls seek to disguise some of their depressive symptomatology, and that mothers’ ratings may also be influenced by their own depressive state.

Investigating the Effectiveness of Verbal Self-education Training on Academic Procrastination and Symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adolescent Boys With Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: This research aims to study the effectiveness of verbal self-instruction training on symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and academic procrastination in male teenagers with ADHD. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included all male teenagers with ADHD in Tabriz City, Iran. A total of 30 male teenagers with ADHD were selected via the purposive sampling method and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The research tools were the child symptom inventory-4 questionnaire and the Solomon and Rothblum academic procrastination scale. Descriptive statistical indices and the analysis of covariance tests were employed for data description and testing of the research hypotheses. Results: The F ratio of the univariate analysis of covariance for dependent variables showed a significant difference in the variables of academic procrastination and ADHD symptoms between the experimental and the control (P&gt;0.001) group. Accordingly, verbal self-instruction is effective in improving academic procrastination and ADHD. Conclusion: The results showed that verbal self-instruction training affects symptoms of ADHD and academic procrastination.

Diagnostic accuracy of the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory (CASI-4R) substance use subscale in detecting substance use disorders in youth.

Identifying substance use disorders (SUDs) early and accurately improves case formulation and treatment. Previous studies have investigated validity and reliability of the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory (CASI) for anxiety, mood, and behavior problems. The present study's aim was to test if the embedded CASI Substance Use (SU) subscale can discriminate adolescents and young adults (AYA) with and without a SUD diagnosis accurately enough to justify clinical application within an evidence-based assessment framework. N = 479 outpatient AYA (age 14-21) and their caregivers completed K-SADS-PLW semistructured diagnostic interviews; caregivers completed the CASI and adolescents completed a parallel version, the Youth (self-report) Inventory (YI). K-SADS-PLW indicated that 33 youth met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for SUDs. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses found that both CASI and YI Substance Use subscale scores significantly identified K-SADS-diagnosed SUDs in AYA: Caregiver area under curve (AUC) = .91, p < .0005; YI(AUC) = .90, p < .0005. There was no significant difference in diagnostic accuracy between informants. Both subscales showed diagnostic and clinical utility in identifying AYA SUDs in outpatient mental health settings. Findings suggest that the CASI-4R subscale could be a helpful screening instrument for AYA SUDs. A case vignette illustrates the clinical application of study findings. Future research should examine rapport as a moderator of reporting accuracy, and replicate use of these measures under varying clinical scenarios. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Diagnostic Accuracy of the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory (CASI-4R) Substance Use Subscale in Detecting Substance Use Disorders in Youth

Supplemental Material for Diagnostic Accuracy of the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory (CASI-4R) Substance Use Subscale in Detecting Substance Use Disorders in Youth

Association of prenatal modifiable risk factors with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder outcomes at age 10 and 15 in an extremely low gestational age cohort.

The increased risk of developing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in extremely preterm infants is well-documented. Better understanding of perinatal risk factors, particularly those that are modifiable, can inform prevention efforts. We examined data from the Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns (ELGAN) Study. Participants were screened for ADHD at age 10 with the Child Symptom Inventory-4 (N = 734) and assessed at age 15 with a structured diagnostic interview (MINI-KID) to evaluate for the diagnosis of ADHD (N = 575). We studied associations of pre-pregnancy maternal body mass index (BMI), pregestational and/or gestational diabetes, maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP), and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) with 10-year and 15-year ADHD outcomes. Relative risks were calculated using Poisson regression models with robust error variance, adjusted for maternal age, maternal educational status, use of food stamps, public insurance status, marital status at birth, and family history of ADHD. We defined ADHD as a positive screen on the CSI-4 at age 10 and/or meeting DSM-5 criteria at age 15 on the MINI-KID. We evaluated the robustness of the associations to broadening or restricting the definition of ADHD. We limited the analysis to individuals with IQ ≥ 70 to decrease confounding by cognitive functioning. We evaluated interactions between maternal BMI and diabetes status. We assessed for mediation of risk increase by alterations in inflammatory or neurotrophic protein levels in the first week of life. Elevated maternal BMI and maternal diabetes were each associated with a 55-65% increase in risk of ADHD, with evidence of both additive and multiplicative interactions between the two exposures. MSDP and HDP were not associated with the risk of ADHD outcomes. There was some evidence for association of ADHD outcomes with high levels of inflammatory proteins or moderate levels of neurotrophic proteins, but there was no evidence that these mediated the risk associated with maternal BMI or diabetes. Contrary to previous population-based studies, MSDP and HDP did not predict ADHD outcomes in this extremely preterm cohort, but elevated maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal diabetes, and perinatal inflammatory markers were associated with increased risk of ADHD at age 10 and/or 15, with positive interaction between pre-pregnancy BMI and maternal diabetes.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder from preschool to school age: change and stability of parent and teacher reports

Identifying attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in pre-schoolers may improve their development if treated, but it is unclear whether ADHD symptoms from this age are stable enough to merit treatment. We aimed to investigate the stability of parent- and teacher-reported ADHD symptoms and ADHD classified above the diagnostic symptom thresholds, including for hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI), inattention and combined presentations from age 3 to 8 years. This study is part of the longitudinal, population-based Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. At child age 3 years, parents were interviewed and teachers rated ADHD symptoms. At age 8 years, parents (n = 783) and teachers (n = 335) reported ADHD symptoms by the Child Symptom Inventory-4. We found a significant reduction in the mean number of parent-reported ADHD and HI symptoms from age 3 to 8 years, but otherwise similar mean numbers. Parent-reported ADHD symptoms were moderately correlated between ages, while correlations were low for teachers. A total of 77/108 (71%) of the children classified with parent-reported HI presentation at age 3 years were no longer classified within any ADHD presentation at age 8 years, the only clear trend across time for either informant. There was a low to moderate parent–teacher-agreement in the number of reported symptoms, and very low informant agreement for the classified ADHD presentations. Overall, clinicians should exercise caution in communicating concern about HI symptoms in preschool children. Age 3 years may be too early to apply the ADHD diagnostic symptom criteria, especially if parents and teachers are required to agree.

Citalopram Did Not Significantly Improve Anxiety in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Undergoing Treatment for Core Symptoms: Secondary Analysis of a Trial to Reduce Repetitive Behaviors.

Objective: Anxiety disorders are among the most common co-occurring conditions in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite their prevalence and impact, there are no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed at evaluating the efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for anxiolysis in this population, who may have a different biological basis for anxiety. Methods: Secondary analyses of the STAART double-blind, placebo-controlled RCT of citalopram in children with ASD examined whether citalopram reduced anxiety measured on the parent-reported Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory-4 (CASI-4) as the primary outcome. An intention-to-treat analysis involving all 149 participants used multiple imputations for missing data and included baseline stratification factors of age group and site, among others. We prespecified as clinically significant a 33% reduction in anxiety in citalopram versus placebo, coinciding with 80% power. We tested whether communicative ability on the Vineland Communication score moderated treatment effect and explored whether initial anxiety was associated with greater adverse events, which could impact on dose titration and achieving optimal dose. Results: Both groups showed substantial reduction in anxiety. Citalopram was associated with a nonsignificant 16.5% greater reduction (observed coefficient = -0.181, bootstrap standard error = 0.126, p = 0.151, confidence interval = -0.428 to 0.066). Anxiety reports were significantly lower in children with reduced communicative ability, but communicative ability did not moderate the treatment effect (interaction p = 0.294). Initial anxiety levels were not associated with increased adverse effects (interaction ps 0.162-0.954). Conclusion: Citalopram did not statistically significantly improve anxiety in children with ASD. Clinicians should be cautious in their use of SSRIs for this indication. There remains a need for well-powered clinical trials testing the efficacy of SSRIs among autistic children with anxiety disorders.

ASSOCIATION OF FAMILY CONFLICT AND FAMILY COHESION WITH DEVELOPMENT OF COMORBID DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR DISORDER IN CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVE DISORDER – A CASE CONTROL STUDY

Objectives: Attention Decit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neuro-developmental disorders in children. Most common comorbidity is Disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) consisting of Oppositional Deant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD). Family and social environmental factors may contribute to develop DBD in children with genetic vulnerability. This study was done to nd out the association of family conict and family cohesion with development of comorbid DBD in children with ADHD. Methods: This case-control, cross sectional study was done in a child Guidance clinic of R.G Kar Medical College, Kolkata. Total study population(N=154) comprises of children diagnosed as ADHD with co morbid DBD (N=53), ADHD only (N=39) and Normal children (N=62). Children fullling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were screened using Child symptom inventory (for10-12 years age) and Devereux Scales of Mental Disorders (for 13-15 years age) and then diagnosed according to DSM IV TR. Control population was collected from schools after screening out for having any psychiatric disorder (N =62). The consenting parents of the cases and control were assessed using Family Environmental scale (F.E.S). Results: Signicant differences were found in family conict and family cohesion among these 3 groups. Families of children with ADHD with co morbid DBD (ODD or CD) had signicantly higher family conict and lower cohesion than families of children with ADHD alone and control children. Conclusion: High family conict and low cohesion are associated with development of DBD in children with ADHD.

Prevalence of behavioral disorders in children and early adolescent: An Eastern Indian single center study

Background: Mental health problems evolving from early childhood to adolescent period affect the processes of adaptation and capability in adulthood. Aims and Objectives: The study aims to study the prevalence of different types of behavioral disorders among children and early adolescents (6–12 years) and detect association between socio-demographic parameters and behavioral disorders as well as detect the behavioral problems for early treatment regarding their child’s behavioral problem. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted in the pediatric OPD and Adolescent Clinic of Calcutta National Medical College from March 2019 to February 2020. 176 patients were included after proper sampling and consent. Semi-structured socio-demographic profile sheet was filled up by parents. Individual child was assessed for various behavioral disorders using the Child Symptom Inventory (CSI)-4 parent questionnaire where data were collected from parents by the investigator through a single time interview. Results: Prevalence of Anxiety disorders was highest in our study, with increased incidence in females. Autism in children was found to be associated with their low birth weight. High incidence of disruptive, impulse control and conduct disorder was seen among boys and mainly in children living with single parent and mothers working. Conclusion: The study is based on informants’ perceptions of the children’s behavior. The study enables understanding of the behavior of children and associated contexts which is essential to make an interventional plan tailored to the needs of the child in the long run.

Associations between sensory processing and depression in autistic girls

BackgroundAutistic youth often experience depression, which can confound their social interactions as well as contribute to decreased quality of life. One of the possible correlates of depression in these youth is their sensitivity to sensory stimuli, which can be of several kinds, and is often referred to as Sensory Features (SF). MethodsThe association between SF (using the Sensory Profile (SPr)) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (as measured by the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory MDD subscale (CASI-D)) was investigated in 53 autistic girls and adolescents aged 6–17 yr, using total MDD scores and also the underlying components of MDD identified via Factor Analysis. Data were collected from the autistic females as well as one of their parents to compare these sources for their association between SF and MDD. ResultsData from the SPr and the CASI-D revealed a significant correlation between SP and total scores from the CASI-D, although that association was not uniform across all four Quadrants of the SPr. Examination of the factor structure of the CASI-D revealed two major components, only one of which (Depressed Mood) was significantly associated with aspects of SPr. The data fitted a model of depression as a behavioural withdrawal from chronic stress as an attempted adaptation to that stress. Only the girls’ own evaluations of their SF made significant contributions to their Depressed Mood. ConclusionsThe link between SF and MDD in these girls may need to be based upon their own evaluations of their SF-related behaviour. Implications for assessment and treatment of SP-related MDD are discussed.

Brief Report: Caregiver Confidence in Reporting Anxiety Symptoms in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Assessment of anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) most commonly includes parent questionnaires. However, due to the nature of the questions and verbal limitations often present in children with ASD, caregivers may have difficulty completing such measures. Caregivers of 144 children with ASD ages 6 to 12 completed the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory-4 ASD Anxiety Scale and rated their level of confidence in responding to each item. Results indicated that parents had a moderate to high level of confidence in rating their children's anxiety symptoms. Parent confidence was not influenced by their child's age, expressive language ability, or intellectual functioning, but was related to their child's anxiety symptom count and ASD severity.

Anxiety and Depression Correlates at Age 10 in Children Born Extremely Preterm.

Objective Anxiety and depression rates are known to be elevated in prematurely-born children and adolescents. This prospective study examines demographic, academic, and physical health correlates of anxiety and depression symptoms in a sample of 10-year-old children who were born extremely preterm. Methods Participants were 889 (51.2% male; 62.3% White) children who were born <28 weeks gestation. Child and family demographic data were collected at birth. When the children were 10, parents (n = 871) and teachers (n = 640) rated the level of anxiety and depression in children through the Child Symptom Inventory-4. Child academic functioning was assessed via the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-III. Parents completed questionnaires about child academic functioning and physical health issues. Data analyses were conducted with multivariate linear modeling. Results Level of prematurity was significantly related to both parent and teacher reports of anxiety. Public health insurance and individualized education program (IEP) status were associated with both parent and teacher reports of depression. Hispanic ethnicity, public insurance, IEP status, and asthma were significantly associated with both parent-reported anxiety and depression. Gross motor impairment was associated with parent-reported anxiety and teacher-reported depression. Child obesity was associated with teacher reports of anxiety, while male sex was significantly related to teacher reports of depression. Conclusion This pattern of findings may suggest hypotheses for future research on models of the development and persistence of anxiety and depression within this particularly vulnerable group of children.