Distal-to-proximal etiologically relevant variables associated with the general (p) and specific factors of psychopathology.

Background: The general factor of psychopathology, often denoted as p, captures the common variance among a broad range of psychiatric symptoms. Specific factors are co-modeled based on subsets of closely related symptoms. This paper investigated the extent to which wide-ranging genetic, personal, and environmental etiologically relevant variables are associated with p and specific psychopathology factors.

Gene-Environment Interplay in the Development of Overweight.

Purpose: Overweight in youth is influenced by genes and environment. Gene-environment interaction (G×E) has been demonstrated in twin studies and recent developments in genetics allow for studying G×E using individual genetic predispositions for overweight. We examine genetic influence on trajectories of overweight during adolescence and early adulthood and determine whether genetic predisposition is attenuated by higher socioeconomic status and having physically active parents.

Genetic confounding in bullying research: Causal claims revisited.

Bullying research has shown repeatedly that victims of bullying have an increased risk for later internalizing problems and bullies have an increased risk for later externalizing problems. Bullying involvement is often, either explicitly or implicitly, presented as part of a causal mechanism for maladjustment. However, genetic vulnerability may confound the reported associations.

Bullying perpetration and social status in the peer group: A meta-analysis.

Introduction: Associations between bullying perpetration and social status vary, not only between different facets of social status but also between bullying in primary versus secondary school. The main aim of the present study was to meta-analyse existing evidence regarding the prospective associations between bullying perpetration and various facets of social status, that is, popularity, peer acceptance, peer rejection, and social preference.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched to identify studies on bullying perpetration and later social status published up to January 17, 2022.

Gene-environment interplay in externalizing behavior from childhood through adulthood.

Background: Genetic and environmental influences on externalizing problems are often studied separately. Here, we extended prior work by investigating the implications of gene-environment interplay in childhood for early adult externalizing behavior. Genetic nurture would be indicated if parents' genetic predisposition for externalizing behavior operates through the family environment in predicting offspring early adult externalizing behavior.

Intergenerational Transmission of Peer Aggression.

It is plausible that peer aggression-like general forms of aggression-is transmitted from one generation to the next. As such, parental behavior in childhood and adolescence may be associated with offspring aggressive behavior against peers. This study used 1970 British Cohort Study data to test intergenerational transmission of peer aggression.

Polygenic risk for aggressive behavior from late childhood through early adulthood.

Twin studies suggest a substantial role for genes in explaining individual differences in aggressive behavior across development. It is unclear, however, how directly measured genetic risk is associated with aggressive behavior at different moments across adolescence and how genes might distinguish developmental trajectories of aggressive behavior. Here, a polygenic risk score derived from the EAGLE-Consortium genome-wide association study of aggressive behavior in children was tested as predictor of latent growth classes derived from those measures in an adolescent population (n = 2229, of which n = 1246 with genetic information) and a high-risk sample (n = 543, of which n = 335 with genetic information).

Childhood and Adolescent Bullying Perpetration and Later Substance Use: A Meta-analysis.

Context: Previous meta-analyses substantially contributed to our understanding of increased drug use risk in bullies but only included research up to 2014 and did not report on other types of substances.

Objective: To review and meta-analyze existing evidence regarding the prospective association between peer bullying perpetration in childhood and adolescence and later substance use.

Data Sources: Electronic databases were searched on March 14, 2019.

Reward Responsiveness, Optimism, and Social and Mental Functioning in Children Aged 6-7: Protocol of a Cross-Sectional Pilot Study.

Background: There is evidence that reward responsiveness and optimism are associated with mental and social functioning in adolescence and adulthood, but it is unknown if this is also the case for young children. Part of the reason for this gap in the literature is that the instruments that are used to assess reward responsiveness and optimism in adolescents and adults are usually not suitable for young children.

Objective: Two behavioral tasks to assess reward learning, a questionnaire on reward responsiveness, and a questionnaire on optimism/pessimism will be tested on their feasibility and reliability in children aged 6-7.

Reward-Related Attentional Bias at Age 16 Predicts Onset of Depression During 9 Years of Follow-up.

Objective: This study investigated whether low reward responsiveness marks vulnerability for developing depression in a large cohort of never-depressed 16-year-old adolescents who completed a reward task and were subsequently followed for 9 years, during which onset of depression was assessed.

Method: Data were collected as part of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), an ongoing prospective cohort study. Reward responsiveness was assessed by the spatial orienting task at 16 years and depression was assessed at 19 years by the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview and at 25 years by the Lifetime Depression Assessment Self-Report.

Alpha-amylase reactivity and recovery patterns in anhedonic young adults performing a tandem skydive.

Background: Anhedonia (loss of pleasure) is characterized by low responsiveness to rewards and, by virtue of being one of the two core symptoms of depression, by altered responses to stress. We investigated the effect of an acute stress experience (i.e.

Reciprocal associations between positive emotions and motivation in daily life: Network analyses in anhedonic individuals and healthy controls.

Anhedonia reflects a dysfunction in the reward system, which can be manifested in an inability to enjoy pleasurable situations (i.e., lack of positive emotions), but also by a lack of motivation to engage in pleasurable activities (i.

Measuring BDNF in saliva using commercial ELISA: Results from a small pilot study.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein often studied in psychiatric populations. Commercial ELISA kits have been validated for measuring BDNF in blood plasma and serum, but blood collection is an invasive method which cannot always be used. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the noninvasive alternative of measuring BDNF in saliva.

An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial of Personalized Lifestyle Advice and Tandem Skydives as a Means to Reduce Anhedonia.

Anhedonia is a major public health concern and has proven particularly difficult to counteract. It has been hypothesized that anhedonia can be deterred by engagement in rewarding social and physical events. The aims of the present study were to examine (1) the effects of personalized lifestyle advice based on observed individual patterns of lifestyle factors and experienced pleasure in anhedonic young adults; and (2) whether a tandem skydive can enhance the motivation to carry out the recommended lifestyle changes.

Lower Sensitivity to Happy and Angry Facial Emotions in Young Adults with Psychiatric Problems.

Many psychiatric problem domains have been associated with emotion-specific biases or general deficiencies in facial emotion identification. However, both within and between psychiatric problem domains, large variability exists in the types of emotion identification problems that were reported. Moreover, since the domain-specificity of the findings was often not addressed, it remains unclear whether patterns found for specific problem domains can be better explained by co-occurrence of other psychiatric problems or by more generic characteristics of psychopathology, for example, problem severity.

Slow identification of facial happiness in early adolescence predicts onset of depression during 8 years of follow-up.

Adolescent onset depression places a high burden on those who suffer from it, and is difficult to treat. An improved understanding of mechanisms underlying susceptibility to adolescent depression may be useful in early detection and as target in treatment. Facial emotion identification bias has been suggested as trait marker for depression, but results have been inconclusive.

Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial to explore the effects of personalized lifestyle advices and tandem skydives on pleasure in anhedonic young adults.

Background: Anhedonia is generally defined as the inability to feel pleasure in response to experiences that are usually enjoyable. Anhedonia is one of the two core symptoms of depression and is a major public health concern. Anhedonia has proven particularly difficult to counteract and predicts poor treatment response generally.