Adolescent Dispositions Research Articles

Factor Structure of the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale among Adolescents in the English Neuroscience in Psychiatry 2400 Study: Possible Need for Further Refinement

Factor Structure of the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale among Adolescents in the English Neuroscience in Psychiatry 2400 Study: Possible Need for Further Refinement

Psychosocial elements as correlates of academic disposition of adolescents living with grandparents

Academic excellence from students is desirable to parents, but recently the passion to strive for such success seems to be dwindling among female adolescent secondary school students hence the need for this study which examined psychosocial elements as correlates of the academic disposition of adolescents living with grandparents. A correlational research method was applied. Three research questions were raised and three hypotheses were formulated. The population comprised 253 female students randomly selected from nine senior secondary schools from four Local Government Areas of Education District III. Instruments used for data collection were the Rosenberg self-esteem scale and a self-developed questionnaire by the researcher tagged Academic Disposition and Sexual Proneness Questionnaire (ADSPQ). Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, and Multiple Regression. Findings revealed that adolescent students living with grandparents in Education District III do not necessarily get involved in sexual activities because of their living conditions. One recommendation made was grandparents should be encouraged to engage in sexuality and sex-related conversations with their children as early as possible. Keywords: academic excellence; Adolescents; female students; grandparents; sexual-proneness

The benefits of sports for the physical and mental health of adolescents

A healthy lifestyle is the main expression of positive health behavior. Movement is a natural need of every child and is a basic preventive tool for strengthening children‘s health. Sport is a complex process that improves the qualities of movements, strengthens the muscles of the body and forms physical endurance through its positive influence on all organs and systems. Sports activities have a beneficial effect on the psyche and personality of adolescents and are defined as the main factor for maintaining, preserving and improving health and a healthy lifestyle. In most European countries, the teaching methodology is aimed at finding the meaning and encouraging the desire of each student to engage in regular physical activity. The article aims to familiarize the audience with the impact of sports on various organs and systems, with the benefits for the physical and mental health of adolescents from sports activities, as well as to provide information on recommendations for the correct choice of sports depending on the constitution and disposition of adolescents.

Disposition of Adolescents toward Receiving Covid-19 Vaccinations in Villavicencio: Myths and Beliefs

Background: Global efforts regarding the COVID-19 pandemic have been focused on preventive activities, such as vaccination, since the disease is expected to become endemic. Adolescents were among the last population groups to be included in the vaccination program in Colombia, and adequate coverage has not yet been achieved in this group and in infants. Aims: It is important to understand their motivations to improve the willingness of this population to be vaccinated. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed via an online survey in adolescents aged 14–19 years in Villavicencio Meta after validation of the survey and informed consent. The following options were provided for the question on vaccine disposition: willing, undecided, and unwilling. We described the disposition toward receiving COVID-19 vaccine using graphs and absolute and relative frequencies based on age group. A multinomial regression model was used to assess the relationship between our predictor variables and vaccine disposition in adolescents. Results: In this study, 288 adolescents were surveyed. The risk variables for unwillingness to be vaccinated were being male (odds ratio [OR] 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.8–5.7, p = 0.62), belonging to low social stratum (OR 2.29, 95% CI 0.9–5.88, p = 0.19), having a monthly family income of less than 1 million Colombian pesos (250 USD) (OR 2.01, 95% CI 0.8–5.16, p = 0.19), and having basic education (OR 2.59, 95% CI 0.33–20.14, p = 0.18). Conclusions: Unproven myths and beliefs have a profound influence on adolescents, resulting in an unwillingness to get vaccinated. Social networks have a high influence on these behaviors, which affect vaccination coverage in adolescents and young people not only for COVID, but also for human papillomavirus, Tetanus and rubella. Therefore, innovative public health strategies must be designed to improve willingness to be vaccinated in this population group.

Dispositional Negative Emotionality in Childhood and Adolescence Predicts Structural Variation in the Amygdala and Caudal Anterior Cingulate During Early Adulthood: Theoretically and Empirically Based Tests.

Substantial evidence implicates the amygdala and related structures in the processing of negative emotions. Furthermore, neuroimaging evidence suggests that variations in amygdala volumes are related to trait-like individual differences in neuroticism/negative emotionality, although many questions remain about the nature of such associations. We conducted planned tests of the directional prediction that dispositional negative emotionality measured at 10-17years using parent and youth ratings on the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale (CADS) would predict larger volumes of the amygdala in adulthood and conducted exploratory tests of associations with other regions implicated in emotion processing. Participants were 433 twins strategically selected for neuroimaging during wave 2 from wave 1 of the Tennessee Twins Study (TTS) by oversampling on internalizing and/or externalizing psychopathology risk. Controlling for age, sex, race-ethnicity, handedness, scanner, and total brain volume, youth-rated negative emotionality positively predicted bilateral amygdala volumes after correction for multiple testing. Each unit difference of one standard deviation (SD) in negative emotionality was associated with a .12 SD unit difference in larger volumes of both amygdalae. Parent-rated negative emotionality predicted greater thickness of the left caudal/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (β = 0.28). Associations of brain structure with negative emotionality were not moderated by sex. These results are striking because dispositions assessed at 10-17years of age were predictive of grey matter volumes measured 12-13years later in adulthood. Future longitudinal studies should examine the timing of amygdala/cingulate associations with dispositional negative emotionality to determine when these associations emerge during development.

What are judges’ views of risk assessments, and how do tools affect adolescent dispositions?

What are judges’ views of risk assessments, and how do tools affect adolescent dispositions?

Supplemental Material for What Are Judges’ Views of Risk Assessments, and How Do Tools Affect Adolescent Dispositions?

Supplemental Material for What Are Judges’ Views of Risk Assessments, and How Do Tools Affect Adolescent Dispositions?

Cross-Cultural Validity of the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Model in a Clinical Sample of Children With Externalizing Behavior Problems.

Background: The Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale—parent rating (CADS-P) explores three emotional dispositions that may enlarge the probability of future externalizing problem behavior. The English version has proven its psychometric quality within a population-based sample of children and adolescents. The presents study investigates the German version of the CADS-P by examining a clinically referred sample of children with externalizing behavior problems.Methods:The sample included 132 children aged 4–11 years with a diagnosis of attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). The factor structure of the CADS-P was evaluated using exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Reliability was estimated using internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Validity was assessed through linear regression analyses, with symptoms of externalizing [conduct disorder (CD), ODD, ADHD] and internalizing behavior problems (anxiety, depression) as criterion variables and the three CADS-P factor scores as predictors.Results:After eliminating eight items due to insufficient psychometric properties, EFA and CFA supported a three-factor solution for the German CADS-P. Cronbach's alpha coefficient exceeded α = 0.70 for all subscales. Mostly, as predicted, the CADS-P dimensions were associated with symptoms of ODD/CD and ADHD and symptoms of anxiety and depression.Conclusions:The present study provides evidence for the cross-cultural validity of the CADS- P in a non-English-Speaking country. Results show that the German version of the CADS-P is a reliable and valid parent questionnaire for assessing prosociality, negative emotionality and daring as emotional dispositions that may enlarge the probability to develop externalizing problem behavior.Trial Registration: The study was approved by the review board of the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne (ID 09-123) and was pre-registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT01350986).

Sex differences in associations of socioemotional dispositions measured in childhood and adolescence with brain white matter microstructure 12 years later.

Predictive associations were estimated between socioemotional dispositions measured at 10-17 years using the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale (CADS) and future individual differences in white matter microstructure measured at 22-31 years of age. Participants were 410 twins (48.3% monozygotic) selected for later neuroimaging by oversampling on risk for psychopathology from a representative sample of child and adolescent twins. Controlling for demographic covariates and total intracranial volume (TICV), each CADS disposition (negative emotionality, prosociality, and daring) rated by one of the informants (parent or youth) significantly predicted global fractional anisotropy (FA) averaged across the major white matter tracts in brain in adulthood, but did so through significant interactions with sex after false discovery rate (FDR) correction. In females, each 1 SD difference in greater parent-rated prosociality was associated with 0.43 SD greater FA (p < 0.0008). In males, each 1 SD difference in greater parent-rated daring was associated with 0.24 SD lower FA (p < 0.0008), and each 1 SD difference in greater youth-rated negative emotionality was associated with 0.18 SD greater average FA (p < 0.0040). These findings suggest that CADS dispositions are associated with FA, but associations differ by sex. Exploratory analyses suggest that FA may mediate the associations between dispositions and psychopathology in some cases. These associations over 12 years could reflect enduring brain-behavior associations in spite of transactions with the environment, but could equally reflect processes in which dispositional differences in behavior influence the development of white matter. Future longitudinal studies are needed to resolve the causal nature of these sex-moderated associations.

The Effects of Adolescents’ Cultural Disposition and Self-Construal on the Reasons for Prosocial Behavior

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to analyze the difference in the self-construal and the reason for prosocial behavior by cultural disposition. Further, this paper also aims to analyze the relationships among adolescents’ cultural disposition, self-construal, and prosocial behavior and to analyze the path to moral reasoning. Data were collected from self-report questionnaires filled out by 385 adolescents in Cheongju. These data were analyzed by factor analysis, Cronbach’s a, Pearson’s correlation, simple regression analysis, and multiple regression analysis using SPSS ver. 12.0. The major results of the study were as follows: first, adolescents who perceived higher individualism showed a higher independent self-construal, and adolescents who perceived higher collectivism showed a higher interdependent self-construal. Second, adolescents who perceived higher collectivism attributed prosocial behavior to internal reasons and adolescents who perceived both higher individualism and collectivism attributed prosocial behavior to self-focused reasons as compared to the adolescents who perceived them to be lower. Third, as a result of the mediator analysis, the cultural disposition of adolescents including individualism and collectivism influenced the internal reasons for prosocial behavior through independent self-construal. Further, the cultural disposition of adolescents influenced internal reasons, self-focused reasons, and other focused reasons for prosocial behavior through interdependent self-construal. Based on these results, the implication was discussed and a follow-up study was suggested.

Examining the factor structure and etiology of prosociality.

Prosociality is one construct included in the developmental propensity model proposed by Lahey and Waldman (2003, 2005) to explain the development of conduct problems in childhood and adolescence. Findings from previous literature on 2 facets of prosociality, dispositional sympathy and respect for rules, suggest that both may have genetic and nonshared environmental influences, but only the latter may have shared environmental influence. The goal of the current article was to explore the structure of the prosociality disposition from a measurement perspective as well as to examine the etiology of this construct. The sample consisted of 686 twin pairs ages 7 to 13. Parents rated their children's prosociality using the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale. The factor structure of the prosociality scale was examined using confirmatory factor analysis to compare a 1-factor model with a 2-factor model. Twin analyses were used to examine the proportion of variance associated with genetic and environmental effects on the latent factor(s) from the best fitting model. Results of the current study suggest that prosociality is a disposition that can be conceptualized as 2 related factors rather than a unitary dimension. These 2 factors map onto the subscales of the prosociality dimension (dispositional sympathy and respect for rules). Both factors had significant genetic and nonshared environmental influences, but only respect for rules had significant shared environmental influences. Examining the dispositional sympathy and respect for rules facets of prosociality separately allowed for the discovery that shared environmental factors may have more impact on respect for rules than sympathy.

Common genetic and nonshared environmental factors contribute to the association between socioemotional dispositions and the externalizing factor in children

Childhood behavioral disorders including conduct disorder (CD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often co-occur. Prior twin research shows that common sets of genetic and environmental factors are associated with these various disorders and they form a latent factor called Externalizing. The developmental propensity model posits that CD develops in part from socioemotional dispositions of prosociality, negative emotionality, and daring; and recent research has supported the expected genetic and environmental associations between these dispositions and CD. This study examined the developmental propensity model in relation to the broader Externalizing factor that represents the covariance among behavior disorders in children. Parents of 686 six- to twelve-year-old twin pairs rated them on symptoms of CD, ADHD, and ODD using the disruptive behavior disorder scale and on prosociality, negative emotionality, and daring using the child and adolescent dispositions scale. A latent factor multivariate Cholesky model was used with each disposition latent factor comprised of respective questionnaire items and the Externalizing factor comprised of symptom dimensions of CD, ADHD inattention, ADHD hyperactivity/impulsivity, and ODD. Results supported the hypothesis that the socioemotional dispositions and the Externalizing factor have genetic factors in common, but there was not a single genetic factor associated with all of the constructs. As expected, nonshared environment factors were shared by the dispositions and externalizing factor but, again, no single nonshared environmental factor was common to all constructs. A shared environmental factor was associated with both negative emotionality and externalizing. The developmental propensity model was supported and appears to extend to the broader externalizing spectrum of childhood disorders. Socioemotional dispositions of prosociality, negative emotionality, and (to a lesser extent) daring may contribute to the covariation among behavioral disorders and perhaps to their comorbid expression through common sets of primarily genetic but also environmental factors.

Psychometrics of a Self-Report Version of the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale

Lahey and Waldman (2003, 2005) proposed a model in which three dispositions—sympathetic response to others; negative emotional response to threat, frustration, and loss; and positive response to novelty and risk—transact with the environment to influence risk for conduct disorder (CD). To test this model, the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale (CADS) was developed to measure these dispositions using parent ratings of the child. Here we report psychometric evaluations of a parallel youth self-report version (CADS-Y). Exploratory factor analysis of CADS-Y items among 832 9- to 17-year-olds yielded a 3-factor structure that was consistent with the model and invariant across sex and informants. In 1,582 pairs of 9- to 17-year-old twins, confirmatory factor analyses supported the CADS-Y 3-factor model. Each CADS-Y dimension was associated with CD and related personality dimensions as predicted.

Adolescent dispositions for antisocial behavior in context: the roles of neighborhood dangerousness and parental knowledge.

This study examined an ecological perspective on the development of antisocial behavior during adolescence, examining direct, additive, and interactive effects of child and both parenting and community factors in relation to youth problem behavior. To address this goal, the authors examined early adolescent dispositional qualities as predictors of boys' antisocial behavior within the context of parents' knowledge of adolescent activities and neighborhood dangerousness. Antisocial behavior was examined using a multimethod latent construct that included self-reported delinquency, symptoms of conduct disorder, and court petitions in a sample of 289 boys from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds who were followed longitudinally from early childhood through adolescence. Results demonstrated direct and additive findings for child prosociality, daring, and negative emotionality, which were qualified by interactions between daring and neighborhood dangerousness, and between prosociality and parental knowledge. The findings have implications for preventive intervention approaches that address the interplay of dispositional and contextual factors to prevent delinquent behavior in adolescence.

Discharge Disposition of Adolescents Admitted to Medical Hospitals After Attempting Suicide

To test the hypothesis that discharge disposition for adolescents admitted to medical hospitals after attempting suicide varies as a function of hospital type and geographic region. Retrospective cohort analysis. The nationally representative Kids' Inpatient Database for 2000. Patients aged 10 to 19 years with a diagnosis of suicide attempt or self-inflicted injury.Main Outcome Measure Likelihood of transfer to another facility vs discharge to home. Care for 32 655 adolescents who attempted suicide was provided in adult hospitals (83% of hospitalizations), children's units in general hospitals (10%), and children's hospitals (4%). More than half (66%) of medical hospitalizations ended with discharge to home, 21% with transfer to a psychiatric, rehabilitation, or chronic care (P/R/C) facility, 10% with transfer to a skilled nursing facility, intermediate care facility, or short-term acute care hospital facility, and 2% with death or departure against medical advice. After adjustment for individual patient characteristics, children's units were 44% more likely than adult hospitals to transfer adolescent patients to a P/R/C facility (odds ratio [OR], 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.94). Patients cared for outside the Northeast were significantly less likely to be transferred to a P/R/C facility (South: OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.65-0.97; Midwest: OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.49-0.80; West: OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.22-0.38). Most adolescents admitted to a medical hospital after a suicide attempt are discharged to home, and the likelihood of transfer to another facility appears to be influenced by the geographic location of the admitting hospital and whether it caters to children.

An exploratory study of the “personality” of adolescents and adults with Down syndrome

Background The pleasant and sociable personality of children with Down syndrome (DS) has received a fair amount of attention in the literature. This study examined the disposition of adolescents and adults with DS, while attempting to control for psychopathology.Method Individuals with DS were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of psychopathology, and compared to two groups of individuals with nonspecific ID on the 15 subscales of the Reiss Profile MR/DD. Participants across groups were individually matched on gender, level of ID, CA, and severity of psychopathology.Results Few differences across groups emerged at the subscale and item levels. No differences were found on the Social Contact subscale.Conclusions Motivational profiles across groups with and without DS were quite similar when psychopathology was taken into consideration.

Discharge disposition of adolescents hospitalized after a suicide attempt

To examine discharge disposition patterns for adolescents admitted to medical hospitals after attempting suicide and to test the hypothesis that, adjusting for patient characteristics, disposition varies by hospital type and geographic region.

Assessment and disposition planning for adolescent suicide attempters treated in the emergency department

Emergency departments (EDs) are often the adolescent suicide attempter’s first point of contact with the medical system. After reviewing the characteristics of adolescent suicide attempters treated in EDs, a procedure for the evaluation of a variety of suicide-specific factors when planning the disposition of adolescents who attempt suicide is discussed. Current suicidal ideation, intent, history of suicidal behavior, reasons for the attempt, common stressful events that might trigger another suicidal act in a vulnerable adolescent, as well as reasons for future hope are assessed. Because it is difficult to predict adolescents at risk for repeat attempts, emphasis is placed on hospitalizing high risk patients and enhancing the probability that those appropriate for discharge receive psychiatric aftercare in the community.