Clinical characteristics of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: association with quality of life and behavioral aspects

Objective: To identify associations between clinical characteristics of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their sociodemographic aspects, quality of life, and results from the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Methods: This is an observational analytical cross-sectional study with a non-probabilistic sample consisting of 72 children diagnosed with ADHD, aged 6 to 13 years, treated at 2 neuropediatric outpatient clinics. The instruments used were the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham, version IV (MTA-SNAP-IV), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria (CCEB), and the Quality of Life Assessment Scale for Children and Adolescents (AUQEI). We performed descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses, considering a 5% significance level. Results: SDQ results were associated with abnormal MTA-SNAP-IV results (inattentive/hyperactive/combined). A 1-point increment in the SDQ score increased by 36.5% the likelihood of the child having an abnormal MTA-SNAP-IV classification. Regarding AUQEI, 30.6% of participants perceived their quality of life as poor and 69.4% as good. Conclusions: A higher SDQ score increased the child's chance of having an abnormal MTA-SNAP-IV result.

Cutaneous allodynia in pediatric and adolescent patients and their mothers: A comparative study

Background Allodynia in adults with migraine is related to disease duration. In pediatric patients with migraine, the same proportion reported allodynia in the first six months of migraine presentation as in prolonged disease. This study examined a possible association between migraine pediatric allodynia and maternal allodynia. Methods We interviewed children with migraine first, and then their mothers, regarding allodynia and headache symptoms. We reviewed hospital charts on pediatric medical background and headache symptoms. Mothers and children older than 11 years filled the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results Ninety-eight children with migraine, mean age 13.49 ± 3.1 years, and their mothers, mean age 43.5 ± 6.2 years were recruited to the study. Pediatric allodynia was associated with maternal allodynia; the latter was reported in 82.8% of children with allodynia versus 35.3% of children without allodynia (p < 0.001). Maternal migraine was reported in 44 (68.7%) of children with allodynia versus 16.3% without allodynia, p < 0.001. No difference was found in Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scores, between children with and without allodynia. Conclusions Pediatric allodynia is associated with maternal migraine. Genetic and environmental factors such as maternal behavior may contribute to reduced pain threshold.

Psychometric Properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-Dysregulation Profile in Italian Early Adolescents

Emotional dysregulation is of great cause for concern because it is associated with severe outcomes. Currently, the identification of youths with signs of emotional and behavioral dysregulation is obtained through the assessment of a Dysregulation Profile (DP), including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-DP (SDQ-DP). Despite its increasingly frequent use in research, studies exploring the SDQ-DP properties are still limited, and no study with Italian samples is currently available. The current study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the SDQ-DP parent-report and its association with difficulties in the school context in a sample of 332 Italian early adolescents. Results showed that the SDQ-DP parent-report is a single-factor measure with good internal consistency. Also, in both males and females, the SDQ-DP parent-report was associated with higher teacher-reported Internalizing (e.g., anxious symptoms) and Externalizing Problems (e.g., hyperactivity, conduct problems) and lower Prosocial Behavior. This study added further evidence about the utility of the SDQ-DP in the assessment, prevention, and treatment of emotional dysregulation.

My Friends Always Know When I’m Sad: How Children’s Emotion Understanding is Associated with Socio-Emotional Development

<p>The current study examined whether prosocial, social, and psychological development in children are more strongly associated with an overall understanding of emotions, or whether certain aspects of development are associated with specific components of emotion understanding. 38 children aged between 6 and 9 years old were administered the Test of Emotion Comprehension and the Kusche Affective Interview-Revised. Their parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Overall emotion understanding was found to be associated with conduct problems. Specific components of emotion understanding were associated with peer and emotional problems and inattention-hyperactivity. Prosocial behaviour was not significantly associated with emotion understanding. Results suggest that social and psychological development are primarily associated with specific components of emotion understanding rather than overall understanding.</p>

My Friends Always Know When I’m Sad: How Children’s Emotion Understanding is Associated with Socio-Emotional Development

<p>The current study examined whether prosocial, social, and psychological development in children are more strongly associated with an overall understanding of emotions, or whether certain aspects of development are associated with specific components of emotion understanding. 38 children aged between 6 and 9 years old were administered the Test of Emotion Comprehension and the Kusche Affective Interview-Revised. Their parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Overall emotion understanding was found to be associated with conduct problems. Specific components of emotion understanding were associated with peer and emotional problems and inattention-hyperactivity. Prosocial behaviour was not significantly associated with emotion understanding. Results suggest that social and psychological development are primarily associated with specific components of emotion understanding rather than overall understanding.</p>