Anxiety and severity of illicit substance use in adolescence: Evaluating the mediating role of perceived coping styles

The purpose of this study was to examine whether coping styles (Active coping, Internal coping and Withdrawal coping) mediated the relationships between anxiety and severity of illicit substance use among a sample of 110 Swiss adolescents ages 12-19 (M=16.3, SD=1.66). The current study tested two competing models of anxiety on severity of illicit substance use. In the first model, we tested the direct effect of trait anxiety (STAI-Y anxiety score) on severity of illicit substance use (ADAD drug use severity rating), while in the second models we examined the mediating role of coping styles in the link between trait anxiety and severity of illicit substance use. Path models indicated that the associations between trait anxiety and severity of illicit substance use are partially mediated by active and withdrawal coping styles. Limitations of the findings and implications for prevention of substance use in adolescence are discussed.

The Effects of Social Anxiety on the Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence

The present study sought to investigate the ways in which social anxiety impedes the development of romantic relationships across adolescence. Previous research has demonstrated a natural progression for romantic associations during adolescence in which teens transition from same- to mixed-sex peer groups, and finally to dyadic relationships with romantic partners (Connolly, Furman, Konarski, 2000; Dunphy, 1963). This model of development was the basis for the present investigation. Social anxiety was examined in terms of how it impacted affiliations at the same- and mixed sex peer group levels, and ultimately the formation of romantic relationships. This project involved administering a series of questionnaires and rating scales to students enrolled in the 9th through \2l grades. Participants included 457 adolescents (196 males, 261 females) recruited from public high schools in the state of Maine. The questionnaires assessed social anxiety, peer acceptance, heterosocial competence, gender composition of adolescent peer networks, dating history, and relationship quality with significant others in the adolescent's life. Higher levels of social anxiety were expected to be associated with impairment at each of these three levels. Given the proposed developmental progression, the effects of anxiety were theorized to be most pronounced within the older cohort of adolescents. Moreover, gender was expected to affect the pattern of results. Social anxiety is most prevalent among females (LaGreca, 1998; LaGreca & Lopez, 1998), who are also thought to progress along the proposed developmental trajectory more quickly than their male counterparts. Therefore, social anxiety was expected to impact the females to a greater degree at each of the three levels. Correlation coefficients, multivariate analyses of variance, and regression analyses were used to evaluate the data. Overall, despite some discrepant findings, the results supported the hypotheses. Social anxiety was affiliated with problems in the same-sex peer group, the mixed-sex clique, and, for older adolescents, romantic relationships. As expected, social anxiety affected females the most at each level. There seems to be a maladaptive pathway that socially anxious teens are following that is markedly different than their non-anxious counterparts.

Social anxiety and self-concept in adolescence

This study analyzes the relationships between social anxiety and dimensions of self-concept in a sample of 2022 (50.1% males) Spanish adolescents, ranging in age from 12 to 16 year-olds. The social anxiety was assessed by the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI), and self-concept was measured with the Self-Description Questionnaire II (SDQ-II). Logistic regression analyses show that adolescents with social anxiety are more likely to negatively perceive their relationship with opposite sex peers and have lower scores in self-esteem than students without social anxiety. Furthermore, in most logistic models, students with social anxiety also show a higher probability of perceiving their relation with peers of the same sex in a negative way, considering worse student, less attractive and athletic, and more emotional instable than students without social anxiety. The relevance of sex and grade in the relationship between social anxiety and self-concept in adolescence is discussed.

Subclinical social anxiety and academic performance in adolescence: analysis of theoretical and practical implications

This study analyses the relationship between self-reported social anxiety and academic performance in a sample of 1,616 Spanish students (52.1% males) in compulsory secondary education, aged 12 to 16 years old. Social anxiety was assessed by the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) and academic performance was measured with school grades and failing grades. Results reveal that adolescents with social anxiety show a similar academic performance to adolescents without social anxiety. Although t tests found some significant differences in academic grades and number of failing grades, the effect size analysis showed that these differences had no empirical relevance. These findings are discussed considering the gender and grade levels and their theoretical and practical implication.

Eating disorders, weight perception, and dieting in adolescence

Background: Eating disorders are serious psychiatric disorders, which usually have their onset in adolescence. Body dissatisfaction and dieting, both common among adolescents, are recognised risk factors for eating disorders. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of eating disorders in the general adolescent population, assess the risk of developing eating disorders in subgroups of dieters, and analyse longitudinal concomitants of incorrect weight perception. Method: A prospective follow-up study on 595 adolescents, aged 15 at baseline, was conducted in western Finland. The study comprised questionnaires directed at the whole study population and subsequent personal interviews with adolescents found to be screen-positive for eating disorders, at both baseline and three-year follow-up. Results: The lifetime prevalence rates for 18 year old females were 2.6 % for anorexia nervosa, 0.4 for bulimia nervosa, and 9.0 % for eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). No prevalent case of DSM-IV eating disorders was found among the male participants. Eating disorders, as well as depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and low self-esteem, was more prevalent among females who perceived themselves as being overweight, despite being normal or underweight, when compared to females with a correct weight perception. An incorrect weight perception was associated in males with social anxiety. Female adolescents dieting due to psychological distress, rather than vanity or overweight, had a fifteen-fold risk of developing an eating disorder. Conclusions: Eating disorders are common among female adolescents, and adolescents choosing to diet due to psychological distress show a markedly increased risk of developing an eating disorder. Promotion of general well-being as well as the prevention of body dissatisfaction and misdirected dieting, accompanied by early detection and proper treatment of eating disorders, is needed to reduce the incidence of and facilitate recovery in adolescents suffering from eating disorders.

Internalizing symptomatology and academic achievement: bi-directional prospective relations in adolescence

Prior research has documented negative, concurrent relations between internalizing symptomatology and academic achievement among adolescents. The present study provided the first rigorous, longitudinal examination of the bi-directional, prospective relations between adolescent internalizing symptomatology and academic achievement. One hundred and thirty adolescents reported depression and anxiety annually from 6th through 10th grades, and GPA records were obtained annually from schools. Results showed that a) high depression and anxiety at the beginning of a school year predicted lower GPA during that school year, and b) low GPA in any school year predicted higher depression and anxiety at the beginning of the following school year. These findings underscore the tight link between adolescent internalizing symptomatology and academic achievement.

Tobacco in adolescence: importance to knowledge the health hazards and preventive measures

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Cenesthopathy in adolescence: An appraisal of diagnostic overlaps along the anxiety–hypochondriasis–psychosis spectrum

Objective To discuss the diagnostic validity of unusual bodily perceptions along the spectrum from age-specific, often transitory and normal, to pathological phenomena in adolescence to hypochondriasis and finally to psychosis. Methods Critical literature review of the cornerstone diagnostic groups along the spectrum embracing anxiety and cenesthopathy in adolescence, hypochondriasis, and cenesthopathy and psychosis, followed by a discussion of the diagnostic overlaps along this spectrum. Results The review highlights significant overlaps between the diagnostic cornerstones. It is apparent that adolescents with unusual bodily perceptions may conceptually qualify for more than one diagnostic group along the spectrum. To determine whether cenesthopathies in adolescence mirror emerging psychosis, a number of issues need to be considered, i.e. age and mode of onset, gender, level of functioning and drug use. The role of overvalued ideas at the border between hypochondriasis and psychosis must be considered. Conclusion As unusual bodily symptoms may in some instances meet formal psychosis risk criteria, a narrow understanding of these symptoms may lead to both inappropriate application of the new DSM-5 attenuated psychosis syndrome and of treatment selection. On the other hand, the possibility of a psychotic dimension of unusual bodily symptoms in adolescents must always be considered as most severe expression of the cenesthopathy spectrum.

General distress, hopelessness—suicidal ideation and worrying in adolescence: Concurrent and predictive validity of a symptom-level bifactor model for clinical diagnoses

BACKGROUND: Clinical disorders often share common symptoms and aetiological factors. Bifactor models acknowledge the role of an underlying general distress component and more specific sub-domains of psychopathology which specify the unique components of disorders over and above a general factor. METHODS: A bifactor model jointly calibrated data on subjective distress from The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. The bifactor model encompassed a general distress factor, and specific factors for (a) hopelessness-suicidal ideation, (b) generalised worrying and (c) restlessness-fatigue at age 14 which were related to lifetime clinical diagnoses established by interviews at ages 14 (concurrent validity) and current diagnoses at 17 years (predictive validity) in a British population sample of 1159 adolescents. RESULTS: Diagnostic interviews confirmed the validity of a symptom-level bifactor model. The underlying general distress factor was a powerful but non-specific predictor of affective, anxiety and behaviour disorders. The specific factors for hopelessness-suicidal ideation and generalised worrying contributed to predictive specificity. Hopelessness-suicidal ideation predicted concurrent and future affective disorder; generalised worrying predicted concurrent and future anxiety, specifically concurrent generalised anxiety disorders. Generalised worrying was negatively associated with behaviour disorders. LIMITATIONS: The analyses of gender differences and the prediction of specific disorders was limited due to a low frequency of disorders other than depression. CONCLUSIONS: The bifactor model was able to differentiate concurrent and predict future clinical diagnoses. This can inform the development of targeted as well as non-specific interventions for prevention and treatment of different disorders.

The role of parental anxiety in the treatment of childhood anxiety

Sixty-seven children aged 7 to 14 who met diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder were assigned to conditions according to parental anxiety level. Within these conditions, children were randomly assigned to I of 2 treatments: child-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or child-focused CBT plus parental anxiety management (CBT + PAM). At posttreatment, results indicated that within the child-anxiety-only condition, 82% of the children in the CBT condition no longer met criteria for an anxiety disorder compared with 80% in the CBT + PAM condition. Within the child + parental anxiety condition, 39% in the CBT condition no longer met criteria compared with 77% in the CBT + PAM condition. At follow-up, these differences were maintained, with some weakening over time. Results were not consistent across outcome measures. The interpretation and potential clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Parametric analyses of anxiety in zebrafish scototaxis

Scototaxis, the preference for dark environments in detriment of bright ones, is an index of anxiety in zebrafish. In this work, we analyzed avoidance of the white compartment by analysis of the spatiotemporal pattern of exploratory behavior (time spent in the white compartment of the apparatus and shuttle frequency between compartments) and swimming ethogram (thigmotaxis, freezing and burst swimming in the white compartment) in four experiments. In Experiment 1, we demonstrate that spatiotemporal measures of white avoidance and locomotion do not habituate during a single 15-min session. In Experiments 2 and 3, we demonstrate that locomotor activity habituates to repeated exposures to the apparatus, regardless of whether inter-trial interval is 15-min or 24-h; however, no habituation of white avoidance was observed in either experiment. In Experiment 4, we confined animals for three 15-min sessions in the white compartment prior to recording spatiotemporal and ethogram measures in a standard preference test. After these forced exposures, white avoidance and locomotor activity showed no differences in relation to non-confined animals, but burst swimming, thigmotaxis and freezing in the white compartment were all decreased. These results suggest that neither avoidance of the white compartment nor approach to the black compartment account for the behavior of zebrafish in the scototaxis test. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Social separation and diazepam withdrawal increase anxiety in the elevated plus-maze and serotonin turnover in the median raphe and hippocampus

The present work aimed to evaluate the effects of social separation for 14 days (chronic stress) and of withdrawal from a 14-day treatment with diazepam (acute stress) on the exploratory behaviour of male rats in the elevated plus-maze and on serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) turnover in different brain structures. Social separation had an anxiogenic effect, evidenced by fewer entries into, and less time spent on the open arms of the elevated plus-maze. Separation also selectively increased 5-hydroxytryptamine turnover in the hippocampus and median raphe nucleus. Diazepam withdrawal had a similar anxiogenic effect in grouped animals and increased 5-hydroxytryptamine turnover in the same brain structures. Chronic treatment with imipramine during the 14 days of separation prevented the behavioural and neurochemical changes caused by social separation. It is suggested that the increase in anxiety determined by both acute and chronic stress is mediated by the activation of the median raphe nucleus-hippocampal 5-hydroxytryptamine pathway.

Facilitation of 5-HT(2A/2C)-mediated neurotransmission in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus decreases anxiety in the elevated T-maze

Previous evidence has shown that facilitation of GABA/benzodiazepine-mediated neurotransmission in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) inhibits both escape and inhibitory avoidance responses generated in the elevated T-maze test of anxiety (ETM). These defensive behaviors have been associated with panic and generalized anxiety, respectively. Aside from GABA/benzodiazepine receptors, the VMH also contains a significant number of serotonin (5-HT) receptors, including 1A, 2A and 2C subtypes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of the activation of 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2A/2C) receptors in the VMH on defensive behavioral responses in rats submitted to the ETM. For that, male Wistar rats were treated intra-VMH with the 5-HT(1A) agonist 8-OH-DPAT, with the 5-HT(2A/2C) agonist DOI, with the 5-HT(2C) selective agonist MK-212, or with the 5-HT(2A/2C) antagonist ketanserin and 10 min after were submitted to the ETM. Results showed that both DOI and MK-212 significantly decreased avoidance measurements, an anxiolytic-like effect, without altering escape. 8-OH-DPAT and ketanserin were without effect, although the last drug attenuated the effects of DOI. None of the drugs altered locomotor activity in an open field. These results suggest that 5-HT(2A/2C) receptors of the VMH are involved in the regulation of inhibitory avoidance and might be of relevance to the physiopathology of generalized anxiety. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.