Relationship between mothers’/caregivers’ reported learning difficulty and internalizing symptoms (anxiety and depression) of children aged 5–17 years in Ghana

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the relation between sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms and self-reported mind-wandering in a sample of adolescents with ADHD. Method: Adolescents ( N = 79; aged 13–17 years; 70% male) diagnosed with ADHD completed measures of SCT, ADHD, anxiety, and depression symptoms, in addition to mind-wandering. Parents also provided ratings of adolescents’ ADHD symptoms. Results: All adolescent-reported psychopathology dimensions, including ADHD, internalizing, and SCT, were significantly bivariately correlated with greater mind-wandering. However, in regression analysis that considered psychopathologies simultaneously, SCT was the only dimension uniquely associated with greater mind-wandering. This finding was unchanged when parent-reported ADHD symptoms were included in the model. Conclusion: These findings are the first to show that SCT symptoms are uniquely related with self-reported mind-wandering in adolescents with ADHD and underscore the importance of considering co-occurring SCT symptoms when testing the interrelations between ADHD and mind-wandering. Replication is needed in larger samples and with other measures of mind-wandering.

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Anxiety, Family Functioning and Neuroendocrine Biomarkers in Obese Children

Acta Médica Portuguesa ◽

10.20344/amp.7919 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 273 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Inês Pinto ◽

Simon Wilkinson ◽

Daniel Virella ◽

Marta Alves ◽

Conceição Calhau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Family Functioning ◽

Mental State ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Significant Negative Correlation ◽

Self Report ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Obese Children ◽

High Functioning ◽

Specific Association ◽

And Gender

Introduction: This observational study explores potential links between obese children’s cortisol, and parental mental state, family functioning, and the children’s symptoms of anxiety and depression.Material and Methods: A non-random sample of 104 obese children (55 boys), mean age 10.9 years (standard deviation 1.76), was recruited from a childhood obesity clinic. Obesity was defined as body mass index above the 95th age- and gender-specific percentiles. Neuroendocrine biomarkers were measured. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed with self and parent-reported questionnaires (Anxiety, Depression and Stress Scales; Child Behaviour Checklist). Family functioning was assessed with parent-reported questionnaires (Family Adaptation and Cohesion Scales-III).Results: A significant, negative correlation (rs = -0.779; p = 0.003) between girls’ cortisol and their parents’ anxiety symptoms was found, limited to high functioning families. Boys scored significantly higher than girls on parent-reported internalizing symptoms but not on self-report. No association was found between cortisol in children and parental depressive symptoms.Discussion: Whether the association between cortisol levels in obese children and parental mental health is effectively restricted to girls from high functioning families or is due to study limitations, requires further research. The lack of associations between cortisol in children and parental depressive symptoms, suggests a specific association between cortisol and parental anxiety symptoms.Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of taking into account family functioning, parental mental state and gender, when investigating neuroendocrine biomarkers in obese children associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression.

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Prevalence and Gender Differences of ODD, Anxiety, and Depression in a Sample of Children With ADHD

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054715608442 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 23 (11) ◽

pp. 1339-1345 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Gudlaug Marion Mitchison ◽

Urdur Njardvik

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Self Report ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Behavior Rating Scale ◽

Oppositional Defiant ◽

And Gender ◽

Reported Data

Objective: Studies on comorbidity in children diagnosed with ADHD have relied more on parent/teacher reports instead of self-reported data and have focused on the frequency of comorbid symptoms instead of scores above clinical cutoffs. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), anxiety, and depression in children with ADHD, using self-report measures for internalizing symptoms and parent-reported measures for externalizing symptoms for increased accuracy. Gender differences were also assessed. Method: Parents of 197 children diagnosed with ADHD answered the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale, and 112 of the children filled out the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children and the Children’s Depression Inventory. Results: Results revealed that 19.28% of the children met cut-off criteria for ODD, 41.96% for anxiety, and 21.43% for depression. Conclusion: Our findings indicate a relatively lower prevalence of ODD and a slightly higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms than previously reported. Possible explanations and future directions are discussed.

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Internalizing Symptom Profiles Among Youth in Foster Care: A Comparison Study

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.711626 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yasmin Moussavi ◽

Kyrre Breivik ◽

Gro Janne Wergeland ◽

Bente Storm Mowatt Haugland ◽

Marit Larsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Foster Care ◽

General Population ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Treatment Needs ◽

Symptom Profiles ◽

Symptom Profile ◽

Youth In Foster Care ◽

Latent Profile

Background: A high prevalence of anxiety and depression is found among youth in foster care. There is limited knowledge on the anxiety and depression symptom profiles of youth in foster care. We examined latent profiles of anxiety and depression symptoms across three unique youth samples and whether youth in foster care were more or less likely to belong to specific symptom profiles than their peers recruited from clinical or general youth populations. We also investigated if these profiles were predicted by sex and age.Methods: Self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed by Spence Children's Anxiety Scale and Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire. Data were pooled from three youth samples (N = 2,005; mean age = 13.9 years, range = 11–18 years) comprising youth in foster care (n = 245), a clinical youth sample (n = 107), and a general population youth sample (n = 1,653). Symptom profiles were identified using latent profile analyses. Multinominal logistic regression was used to predict the latent profile membership.Results: Three profiles that differed both in symptom level and shape were identified and labeled as low, medium, and high symptom profile. Compared to the general population youth sample, youth in foster care had a higher likelihood of belonging to the high symptom profile, but not the medium symptom profile. Youth from the clinical sample had an increased risk of belonging to the medium and high symptom profiles compared to the youth in foster care and general population youth samples. Across samples, girls yielded a higher likelihood of having a medium or high symptom profile. Increasing age was associated with a higher likelihood of being in the high symptom profile.Conclusion: Compared to their counterparts in the general population, youth in foster care are at risk of belonging to a class of youth with high symptom levels across subtypes of internalizing symptoms, indicating the importance of systematic and broad assessment of internalizing symptoms among these youth. Knowledge on the symptom profiles of anxiety subtypes and depression increases our understanding of the treatment needs of youth in foster care.

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A year in the social life of a teenager: Within-person fluctuations in stress, phone communication, and anxiety and depression

10.31234/osf.io/aekjt ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Alexandra M Rodman ◽

Constanza M. Vidal Bustamante ◽

Meg Dennison ◽

John Coleman Flournoy ◽

Daniel D.L. Coppersmith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Communication ◽

Social Life ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Stressful Life Events ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Potential Mechanism ◽

Adolescent Anxiety ◽

Internalizing Psychopathology ◽

The Social ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

Stressful life events (SLEs) are strongly associated with the emergence of adolescent anxiety and depression, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood, especially at the within-person level. We investigated how adolescent social communication (i.e., frequency of calls and texts) following SLEs relates to changes in internalizing symptoms in a multi-timescale intensive year-long study (N=30; n=355 monthly observations; n=~5,000 experience-sampling observations). Within-person increases in SLEs were associated with receiving more calls than usual at both monthly- and momentary-levels, and making more calls at the monthly-level. Increased calls were prospectively associated with worsening internalizing symptoms at the monthly-level only, suggesting that SLEs rapidly influences phone communication patterns, but these communication changes may have a more protracted, cumulative influence on internalizing symptoms. Finally, increased incoming calls prospectively mediated the association between SLEs and anxiety at the monthly-level. We identify adolescent social communication fluctuations as a potential mechanism conferring risk for stress-related internalizing psychopathology.

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The role of childhood generalized anxiety in the internalizing cluster

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291719002484 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (13) ◽

pp. 2272-2282 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kirsty S. Lee ◽

Tracy Vaillancourt

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Child Maltreatment ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Socioeconomic Indicators ◽

Parent Reports ◽

Individual Level ◽

Self Reports ◽

The Impact

AbstractBackgroundAnxiety, depression and somatization (the internalizing cluster) are highly comorbid, prevalent and associated with significant individual and societal costs. Although prior studies have examined their natural course, there has been a little investigation into how symptoms unfold at the individual level. We examined the intraindividual (within-person) temporal patterning of symptom development and the impact of risk factors (sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic indicators, bullying victimization, child maltreatment) on symptom means and trajectories (between-person), comparing youth and parent reports.MethodOver a 7-year interval from age 11 to 17, children (n = 669; 54% girls; 79% White) and parents (89% mothers) reported on symptoms of anxiety and depression from age 11 and somatization from age 13. Autoregressive latent trajectory models with structured residuals were used to uncouple within- and between-person sources of variance.ResultsAccording to self-reports, generalized anxiety consistently predicted depression, while anxiety and depression consistently predicted somatization. Anxiety also had an indirect effect on somatization via depression. According to parent reports, there were several bidirectional effects between anxiety and depression and between depression and somatization. Experiences of abuse were consistent risk factors for self-reported internalizing symptoms, and across informants, girls had higher symptom means and rising trajectories compared to boys.ConclusionGeneralized anxiety plays an important role in adolescent depressive and somatic symptoms. Primary prevention of anxiety may be warranted to curb symptom continuity and the development of comorbidity. Research is needed to determine whether self-reports of anxiety should be prioritized over parent reports and continued efforts are needed to reduce bullying and child maltreatment.

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Active And Avoidant Coping Profiles In Children And Their Relationship With Anxiety And Depression During The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1145469/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qiaochu Zhang ◽

Samuel M.Y. Ho ◽

Yanlin Zhou

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Coping Styles ◽

Child Anxiety ◽

Mainland China ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Avoidant Coping ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Active and avoidant coping styles are important dispositional factors for the development of anxiety and depression symptoms. Children use both active and avoidant coping together in daily life. No studies have investigated the relationship between active-avoidant coping profiles and internalizing symptoms of children in the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to investigate children’s active-avoidant coping profiles and assess the relationship of active-avoidant coping profiles to anxiety and depression symptoms in the COVID-19 pandemic. A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 322 Chinese children in mainland China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed the Children’s Coping Strategies Checklist – Revised1 in Time 1 and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in Time 1 and 6 months later (Time 2). Four active-avoidant coping profiles were revealed: Low Active copers, High Active copers, Balanced copers, and Avoidant copers. Low and High Active copers were related to lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms than Balanced copers and Avoidant copers. Avoidant copers showed less decrease in depression symptoms than Balanced copers and High Active copers. It is important to improve children's active-avoidant coping profiles for relieving anxiety and depression symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Impaired adaptation of learning to contingency volatility in internalizing psychopathology

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.61387 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher Gagne ◽

Ondrej Zika ◽

Peter Dayan ◽

Sonia J Bishop

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Common Factor ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Specific Symptom ◽

Internalizing Psychopathology ◽

Core Deficit ◽

The Common ◽

Bifactor Modeling ◽

Better Than

Using a contingency volatility manipulation, we tested the hypothesis that difficulty adapting probabilistic decision-making to second-order uncertainty might reflect a core deficit that cuts across anxiety and depression and holds regardless of whether outcomes are aversive or involve reward gain or loss. We used bifactor modeling of internalizing symptoms to separate symptom variance common to both anxiety and depression from that unique to each. Across two experiments, we modeled performance on a probabilistic decision-making under volatility task using a hierarchical Bayesian framework. Elevated scores on the common internalizing factor, with high loadings across anxiety and depression items, were linked to impoverished adjustment of learning to volatility regardless of whether outcomes involved reward gain, electrical stimulation, or reward loss. In particular, high common factor scores were linked to dampened learning following better-than-expected outcomes in volatile environments. No such relationships were observed for anxiety- or depression-specific symptom factors.

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Parent–child attachment and internalizing symptoms in childhood and adolescence: A review of empirical findings and future directions

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579409990344 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 177-203 ◽

Cited By ~ 261

Author(s):

Laura E. Brumariu ◽

Kathryn A. Kerns

Keyword(s):

Internalizing Problems ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Attachment Security ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Childhood And Adolescence ◽

Future Directions ◽

Child Attachment ◽

Key Questions ◽

Parent Child

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the theory and evidence for the links of parent–child attachment with internalizing problems in childhood and adolescence. We address three key questions: (a) how consistent is the evidence that attachment security or insecurity is linked to internalizing symptoms, anxiety, and depression? (b) How consistent is the evidence that specific forms of insecurity are more strongly related to internalizing symptoms, anxiety, and depression than are other forms of insecurity? (c) Are associations with internalizing symptoms, anxiety, and depression consistent for mother–child and father–child attachment? The current findings are consistent with the hypothesis that insecure attachment is associated with the development of internalizing problems. The links between specific insecure attachment patterns and internalizing problems are difficult to evaluate. Father–child and mother–child attachments have a comparable impact, although there are relatively few studies of father–child attachment. No moderators consistently affect these relations. We also propose two models of how attachment insecurity may combine with other factors to lead to anxiety or depression.

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Social media use, physical activity, and internalizing symptoms in adolescence: Cross-sectional analysis (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.26134 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lauren A. Rutter ◽

Holly M. Thompson ◽

Jacqueline Howard ◽

Tennisha N. Riley ◽

Robinson De Jesus-Romero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Social Media ◽

Extracurricular Activities ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Media Use ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Social Media Use ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Anxiety Depression

BACKGROUND An overwhelming majority of American adolescents have access to smartphones, and recent estimates suggest that they spend considerable time on social media in comparison to other physical and leisure activities. A large body of literature has established that social media use is related to poor mental health, but the complicated relationship between social media and symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents is yet to be fully understood. OBJECTIVE Our primary aim was to investigate the effect of social media use on anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescents, exploring physical activity as a mediator. METHODS A Qualtrics survey manager recruited adult panel participants between February and March 2019, who indicated they had adolescent children who spoke English. A total of 4,592 adolescent-parent dyads completed the survey, which took approximately 39 minutes. The survey entailed completing online questionnaires assessing various aspects of social media use, psychological symptoms, and psychosocial factors. The average age of adolescent participants was 14.62 (SD = 1.68, [12-17]), and the majority of the adolescent sample was male (52.01%). RESULTS There were significant differences in symptoms based on gender: females reported higher rates of social media use and males reported higher rates of depression. Non-binary and transgender adolescents had higher rates of anxiety, depression, and loneliness than the female and male adolescents in the sample. Results showed a positive relationship between social media use and internalizing symptoms, with greater use linked to higher rates of anxiety (r = .26, P <.001), depression (r = .32, P <.001), and loneliness (r = .23, P <.001), replicating prior findings. Physical activity was associated with decreased anxiety and depression symptoms after controlling for other extracurricular activities and social media use ( = -.21, R2 = .24, F (5, 4290) = 266.0, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS More social media use is associated with higher rates of anxiety, depression, and loneliness among adolescents, controlling for age and gender. Exercise may protect against the potentially harmful effects of social media in some adolescents. Limitations of the current study include its self-report nature and cross-sectional design. Overall, findings suggest the need to tailor interventions for anxious and depressed youth, and caution against over-involvement in extracurricular activities, including exercise. Future work should examine social media use beyond how much time adolescents spend using social media, and instead focus on the type of social media consumption. CLINICALTRIAL n/a

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