A genetically informed study of the processes underlying the association between parental marital instability and offspring adjustment

Parental divorce is associated with problematic offspring adjustment, but the relation may be due to shared genetic or environmental factors. One way to test for these confounds is to study offspring of twins discordant for divorce. The current analyses used this design to separate the mechanisms responsible for the association between parental divorce, experienced either before or after the age of 16, and offspring well-being. The results were consistent with a causal role of divorce in earlier initiation of sexual intercourse and emotional difficulties, in addition to a greater probability of educational problems, depressed mood, and suicidal ideation. In contrast, the increased risk for cohabitation and earlier initiation of drug use was explained by selection factors, including genetic confounds.

Does the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program provide value for money?

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the economic case for the implementation of the Triple P- Positive Parenting Program on a population basis in Queensland, Australia, in order to reduce the prevalence of conduct disorder in children. Method: Threshold analysis was undertaken together with a limited cost-effectiveness analysis. Results: The Triple P-Positive Parenting Program is a dominant intervention; that is, it costs less than the amount it saves, until the reduction in prevalence falls below 7% where net costs become positive. Conclusions: Triple P is likely to be a worthwhile use of limited health funds. The economic case is promising, but further research is required to confirm the study results.

ADOLESCENTES USUÁRIAS DE SUBSTÂNCIAS PSICOATIVAS

Esta pesquisa estudou adolescentes internadas para tratamento de dependência de drogas no Centro de Recuperação Álcool e Drogas Desafio Jovem. Objetivou descrever as características psicossociais e a psicodinâmica dessas adolescentes, além de identificar comportamentos de riscos e de proteção à saúde das participantes. Para coleta de dados, foram utilizados o Questionário de Identificação Sócio-Demográfico e Consumo de Substâncias Psicoativas, o teste projetivo H.T.P. (House-Tree-Person) e o Inventário de Triagem do Uso de Drogas (DUSI) . Fizeram parte do estudo 14 adolescentes na faixa de 12 a 17 anos. A maioria das adolescentes (78,57%) são filhas de pais separados. A primeira substância usada, na faixa de idade de 9 a 14 anos, foi o cigarro (42,86%), a segunda foi a maconha (35,71%), a terceira, na faixa de 9 a 15 anos foi o álcool (21,43%) e a quarta substância, na faixa de 9 a 16 anos foi o crack (35,71%). A droga predileta das adolescentes é o crack (42,9%). A carência afetiva é vista como reflexo da própria história de vida, com o desamparo, com ausência de afeto, falta de confiança, isolamento, falta de contatos sociais seguros, descontentamento com o ambiente familiar que se apresenta restritivo, apresentando vulnerabilidade que se faz presente em relação às pressões vividas no ambiente familiar. O pai se constitui quase sempre ausente na elaboração das adolescentes. Situações, como negligência, violência e abandono paterno, bem como o envolvimento com drogas lícitas e ilícitas pelos pais e outros familiares, devem ser objeto de medidas de proteção de políticas públicas de promoção de saúde familiar e comunitária e de redução de danos relacionados ao uso de substâncias psicoativas.

ADOLESCÊNCIA E TRANSTORNO DE CONDUTA: ESTUDO DO FUNCIONAMENTO PSÍQUICO E DA PERCEPÇÃO DA FIGURA PATERNA DE ADOLESCENTES INFRATORES

O presente estudo teve por objetivos: a) investigar conteúdos da psicodinâmica dos adolescentes infratores; b) descrever a percepção das interações afetivo-relacionais dos adolescentes em relação à figura paterna. Para isso foram estudados seis casos de adolescentes que cometeram infração e que cumprem medidas sócioeducativas, sendo cinco deles com 17 anos e um com 14 anos. Esses adolescentes freqüentavam o CEDECA (Centro de Defesa dos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente) da cidade de Mauá (São Paulo), local onde os dados foram coletados. Foram utilizados como instrumentos o Procedimento de Desenho-Estória com Tema e entrevista semi-estruturada. A aplicação do procedimento foi feita com base nas seguintes instruções: desenhe um adolescente de Mauá e desenhe o pai de um adolescente de Mauá e, após cada desenho, foi pedido que o adolescente contasse uma história sobre o mesmo. De um modo geral, os resultados mostraram que o primitivismo e esteve presente na produção dos seis adolescentes, visto a presença de mecanismos de defesa como idealização, negação, cisão e outros mecanismos de defesa esquizóides. Também ficou evidente que a dificuldade de crescimento e evolução da personalidade, assim como a conduta anti-social estão associadas à qualidade da introjeção da figura paterna e a relação que estes adolescentes estabelecem com ela. Concluiu-se que o modo como se dá o desenvolvimento psíquico é fator determinante para que indivíduo seja levado á conduta delituosa. Por isso, são necessários mais estudos sobre a personalidade de adolescentes em conflito com a lei, para que o conhecimento científico possa contribuir em ações no âmbito familiar, bem como em programas de prevenção primária e secundária que possam dar condições de um bom desenvolvimento psíquico às pessoas antes que cheguem à adolescência e à idade adulta.

Treatment attrition among racial /ethnic minority adolescents participating in a brief motivational intervention for substance use problems: The influence of individual, social, cultural, and treatment factors

The present study has the primary aim of examining the predictors of treatment attrition among racial/ethnic minority adolescents with substance use problems. This study explores the potential differential influence of specific individual, social, cultural, and treatment factors on treatment attrition within three racial/ethnic subgroups of adolescents. Participants: A unique feature of the study is the use of a racial/ethnic minority sample (N=453), [U.S.-born Hispanics (n = 262), Foreign-born Hispanics (n = 117), and African-Americans (n = 74)]. Multivariate logit analyses were used to examine the influence of specific factors on treatment attrition among the full sample of adolescents, as well as within each racial/ethnic subgroup. Consistent with expectations, multivariate logit analyses reveal that, the specific factors associated with attrition varied across the three racial/ethnic subgroups. Having parents with problem substance use, being on the waitlist, and being court mandated to treatment emerged as predictors of attrition among the US-born Hispanics, while only Conduct Disorder was significantly associated with greater attrition among foreign-born Hispanics. Finally, among African-Americans, parental crack/cocaine use, parental abstinence from alcohol, and being on the waitlist were predictive of attrition. Multiple factors were associated with treatment attrition among racial/ethnic minority adolescents with specific factors differentially predicting attrition within each racial/ethnic subgroup. African-American youth were more than twice as likely as their Hispanic counterparts to leave treatment prematurely. It is critically important to understand the predictors of attrition among racial/ethnic minority youth in order to better meet the needs of youth most at risk of dropping out. ^

Treatment attrition among racial/ethnic minority adolescents participating in a brief motivational intervention for substance use problems : the influence of individual, social, cultural, and treatment factors

The present study has the primary aim of examining the predictors of treatment attrition among racial/ethnic minority adolescents with substance use problems. This study explores the potential differential influence of specific individual, social, cultural, and treatment factors on treatment attrition within three racial/ethnic subgroups of adolescents. Participants: A unique feature of the study is the use of a racial/ethnic minority sample (N=453), [U.S.-born Hispanics (n = 262), Foreign-born Hispanics (n = 117), and African- Americans (n = 74)]. Multivariate logit analyses were used to examine the influence of specific factors on treatment attrition among the full sample of adolescents, as well as within each racial/ethnic subgroup. Consistent with expectations, multivariate logit analyses reveal that, the specific factors associated with attrition varied across the three racial/ethnic subgroups. Having parents with problem substance use, being on the waitlist, and being court mandated to treatment emerged as predictors of attrition among the US-born Hispanics, while only Conduct Disorder was significantly associated with greater attrition among foreign-born Hispanics. Finally, among African-Americans, parental crack/cocaine use, parental abstinence from alcohol, and being on the waitlist were predictive of attrition. Multiple factors were associated with treatment attrition among racial/ethnic minority adolescents with specific factors differentially predicting attrition within each racial/ethnic subgroup. African-American youth were more than twice as likely as their Hispanic counterparts to leave treatment prematurely. It is critically important to understand the predictors of attrition among racial/ethnic minority youth in order to better meet the needs of youth most at risk of dropping out.

O comportamento pró-social de crianças com sintomatologia do transtorno da conduta

Pro-social behaviors are seen regularly throughout our daily lives, as we often witness people giving alms, helping a neighbor move, donating blood, or taking care of a friend's children, among others. From an evolutionary perspective, such behaviors occur because they have a high adaptive value to our species, precisely due to our high degree of dependence on group living for survival. Probably, for this same reason, since children have shown a preference for prosocial behaviors over antisocial behaviors, this preference becomes more visible as we grow. However, children with symptoms of conduct disorder show a pattern of aggressive, impulsive and more selfish behaviors than children without such symptoms. Furthermore, these children also experience environments in which antisocial behaviors are more frequent and intense compared to the general population. Priming experiments are one way of measuring the influence of simple environmental cues on our behavior. For example, driving faster when listening to music, religious people help more on religious elements, like the bible, and children are more cooperative after playing games of an educational nature. Thus, the objectives of the current study were to: evaluate whether there is any difference in generosity, through sharing behavior, among children with and without symptoms of conduct disorder; analyze the influence of prosocial priming on sharing behavior on children with and without symptoms of conduct disorder; and finally, analyze from an evolutionary perspective, the reasons given by children with and without symptoms of conduct disorder for sharing or not sharing with their best friend in a classroom environment. To address this question, the teachers of these children were asked to respond to an inventory that was designed to signal the presence or absence of symptoms of conduct disorder. Children identified as having or not having symptoms of conduct disorder could then undergo an experimental (with priming) or control (no priming) condition. Under the experimental condition, the children were asked to watch two short videos showing scenes of helping and sharing among peers, to perform a distraction activity, and finally to chose two of four different materials presented by the researcher and decide how much of these two materials they would like to share with their best friend in the classroom. Then the children were asked about their reasons for sharing or not sharing. Children subjected to the control condition performed the same activities as in the xi experimental condition, but did not watch the video first. The results showed a notable difference in the effect of priming in accordance with the child's stage of development; a difference in the amount of material donated to a best friend by children with and without symptoms of conduct disorder, and a change in this observed difference with the influence of pro-social priming; and finally, a convergence in the thinking of children regarding their reasons for sharing with evolutionary theory. The results of this study also indicate the importance of individual factors, developmental stage, environmental and evolutionary conditions in the pro-social behavior of children with and without symptoms of conduct disorder.

Reward circuitry dysfunction in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders and genetic syndromes: animal models and clinical findings.

This review summarizes evidence of dysregulated reward circuitry function in a range of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders and genetic syndromes. First, the contribution of identifying a core mechanistic process across disparate disorders to disease classification is discussed, followed by a review of the neurobiology of reward circuitry. We next consider preclinical animal models and clinical evidence of reward-pathway dysfunction in a range of disorders, including psychiatric disorders (i.e., substance-use disorders, affective disorders, eating disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorders), neurodevelopmental disorders (i.e., schizophrenia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, Tourette's syndrome, conduct disorder/oppositional defiant disorder), and genetic syndromes (i.e., Fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Williams syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and Rett syndrome). We also provide brief overviews of effective psychopharmacologic agents that have an effect on the dopamine system in these disorders. This review concludes with methodological considerations for future research designed to more clearly probe reward-circuitry dysfunction, with the ultimate goal of improved intervention strategies.

VRAG-R Documentation

The VRAG-R is designed to assess the likelihood of violent or sexual reoffending among male offenders. The data set comprises demographic, criminal history, psychological assessment, and psychiatric information about the offenders gathered from institutional files together with post-release recidivism information. The VRAG-R is a twelve-item actuarial instrument and the scores on these items form part of the data set. Because one of the goals of the VRAG-R development project was to compare the VRAG-R to the VRAG, subjects' VRAG scores are included in this data set. Access to the VRAG-R dataset is restricted. Contact Data Services, Queen's University Library (academic.services@queensu.ca) for access.

Coding Manuals

The VRAG-R is designed to assess the likelihood of violent or sexual reoffending among male offenders. The data set comprises demographic, criminal history, psychological assessment, and psychiatric information about the offenders gathered from institutional files together with post-release recidivism information. The VRAG-R is a twelve-item actuarial instrument and the scores on these items form part of the data set. Because one of the goals of the VRAG-R development project was to compare the VRAG-R to the VRAG, subjects' VRAG scores are included in this data set. Access to the VRAG-R dataset is restricted. Contact Data Services, Queen's University Library (academic.services@queensu.ca) for access.

RISK FACTORS FOR NONMEDICAL PRESCRIPTION ANALGESIC USE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS: RESULTS OF A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Purpose—Nonmedical Prescription Analgesic (NPA) use is a serious public health concern and studies on risk factors for NPA use are lacking. This investigation used preexisting data from a landmark longitudinal, prospective study of college students, the College Life Study (CLS), to examine the longitudinal relationship between four suspected risk factors—affective dysregulation, conduct problems, depressive symptoms, and general psychological health—and NPA use. Methods—The sample was comprised of 1,253 young adults originally recruited as first-year college students from a large, mid-Atlantic university. Results—10.5% (n=103) of the participants during year 3 of the study reported past year NPA use, of which 55.3% (n=57) were male and 81.6% (n=84) were white. Affective dysregulation and conduct problems were found to be significantly and longitudinally (baseline to year 3) associated with incident NPA use after controlling for gender, parents’ education, and race/ethnicity. Conclusions—Affective dysregulation and conduct disorder are longitudinally associated with NPA use among college students. These findings might aid in prevention efforts to reduce NPA use among college students.

VRAG-R Documentation

The VRAG-R is designed to assess the likelihood of violent or sexual reoffending among male offenders. The data set comprises demographic, criminal history, psychological assessment, and psychiatric information about the offenders gathered from institutional files together with post-release recidivism information. The VRAG-R is a twelve-item actuarial instrument and the scores on these items form part of the data set. Because one of the goals of the VRAG-R development project was to compare the VRAG-R to the VRAG, subjects' VRAG scores are included in this data set. Access to the VRAG-R dataset is restricted. Contact Data Services, Queen's University Library (academic.services@queensu.ca) for access.

Coding Manuals

The VRAG-R is designed to assess the likelihood of violent or sexual reoffending among male offenders. The data set comprises demographic, criminal history, psychological assessment, and psychiatric information about the offenders gathered from institutional files together with post-release recidivism information. The VRAG-R is a twelve-item actuarial instrument and the scores on these items form part of the data set. Because one of the goals of the VRAG-R development project was to compare the VRAG-R to the VRAG, subjects' VRAG scores are included in this data set. Access to the VRAG-R dataset is restricted. Contact Data Services, Queen's University Library (academic.services@queensu.ca) for access.

Comment on “The spreading of disorder”

Keizer, Lindenberg and Steg (2008) conduct six interesting field experiments and report that their results provide evidence of the broken windows theory. Such an analysis is highly relevant as the (broken windows) theory is both controversial and lacking empirical support. Keizer et al.’s key aim was to conceptualize a disorderly setting in such a way that it is linked to a process of spreading norm violation. The strength of the study is the exploration of cross-norm inhibition effects in a controlled field experimental environment. Their results show that if norm violating behavior becomes more common, it negatively affects compliance in other areas. Nevertheless, this comment paper discusses several shortcomings or limitations and provides new empirical evidence that deals with these problems.

Mandibular Manipulation for the Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorder

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review to identify the randomized clinical studies that had investigated the following research question: Is the mandibular manipulation technique an effective and safe technique for the treatment of the temporomandibular joint disk displacement without reduction? the systematic search was conducted in the electronic databases: PubMed (Medical Publications), LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences), EMBASE (Excerpta Medica Database), PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database), BBO (Brazilian Library of Odontology), CENTRAL (Library Cochrane), and SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online). the abstracts of presentations in physical therapy meetings were manually selected, and the articles of the ones that meet the requirements were investigated. No language restrictions were considered. Only randomized and controlled clinical studies were included. Two studies of medium quality fulfilled all the inclusion criteria. There is no sufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of the mandibular manipulation therapy, and therefore its use remains questionable. Being minimally invasive, this therapy is attractive as an initial approach, especially considering the cost of the alternative approaches. the analysis of the results suggests that additional high-quality randomized clinical trials are necessary on the topic, and they should focus on methods for data randomization and allocation, on clearly defined outcomes, on a priori calculated sample size, and on an adequate follow-up strategy.