IQ, parent- and self-reports of child anxiety and salivary cortisol in a sample of children with autism spectrum disorder.

This study examined the relation between IQ, parent-reported child anxiety, and salivary cortisol levels in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with a wide range of intellectual abilities using a prospective design. Results showed that IQ at time 1 (T1) positively predicted parent-reports of child anxiety at time 2 (T2); however, IQ at T1 negatively predicted cortisol levels from saliva samples taken at a research laboratory at T2. Parent reports of child anxiety at T1 and T2 were not associated with cortisol levels at T2.

Pre- and Perinatal Risk Factors for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder Versus Youth with Other Mental Health Disorders.

Research has linked pre- and perinatal complications (PPCs) with increased risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, PPCs are also known risk factors for other mental health disorders. This study explored which PPCs are specific risk factors for ASD, as opposed to other forms of psychopathology, among a large sample of clinically-referred youth.

Age Differences in Expression of Generalized and Social Anxiety Among Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This study examined differences in generalized and social anxiety symptoms across two age groups of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while accounting for overall anxiety level, gender, and intellectual functioning. Older children (12-18 years) expressed more overall and social anxiety symptoms than younger children (6-11 years), and social anxiety symptoms were predominant in the older group. Younger children expressed more generalized anxiety symptoms than the older youth, and there was a trend for generalized anxiety symptoms to be more dominant in the younger group.

Efficacy of aquatic therapy for neck pain: a systematic review.

This study systematically reviews the current state of aquatic treatment of neck pain and assesses the scientific evidence of its benefits. The databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and PEDro were searched for relevant reports published from January 1, 2008, to November 7, 2017, using the keywords "neck pain" in addition to "balneotherapy", "spa treatment", "spa", "thalassotherapy", "hydrotherapy", "aquatic therapy" or "aquatic". Inclusion criteria were full-text articles published in journals included in Journal Citation Reports in English and Spanish describing human studies.

A Pilot Study Examining the Effectiveness of the PEERS Program on Social Skills and Anxiety in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Program for the Evaluation of the Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS), a social skills intervention for high functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), has been proven efficacious in randomized control trials. However, the effectiveness of the PEERS program in community settings has not been studied. The present small-scale pilot study examined the effectiveness of the PEERS program in a community setting.

Efficacy of aquatic therapy for multiple sclerosis: a systematic review.

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, progressive, disabling autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. Symptoms and signs of MS vary widely and patients may lose their ability to walk. To date the benefits of aquatic therapy often used for rehabilitation in MS patients have not been reviewed.

Extracorporeal shockwaves versus ultrasound-guided percutaneous lavage for the treatment of rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Extracorporeal shockwave treatment (ESWT) and ultrasound-guided percutaneous lavage (UGPL) are two effective ways of treating rotator cuff calcific tendinopathy (RCCT).

Aim: The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of these techniques in the treatment of RCCT.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial.

Age and Adaptive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with ASD: The Effects of Intellectual Functioning and ASD Symptom Severity.

The present study examined the moderating effects of intellectual functioning and ASD symptom severity on the relation between age and adaptive functioning in 220 youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Regression analysis indicated that intellectual functioning and ASD symptom severity moderated the relation between age and adaptive functioning. For younger children with lower intellectual functioning, higher ASD symptom severity was associated with better adaptive functioning than that of those with lower ASD symptom severity.

Fitting anxious emotion-focused intervention into the ecology of schools: results from a test anxiety program evaluation.

Emotion-focused prevention and intervention efforts in schools have been promoted as a significant developmental and public health priority. This paper reports the results of a longitudinal study testing central premises of a school-based prevention model aimed at promoting positive emotional development through targeting test anxiety. Test anxiety interventions may be a practical strategy for conducting emotion-focused prevention and intervention efforts because of a natural fit within the ecology of the school setting.

Parenting practices, interpretive biases, and anxiety in Latino children.

A number of factors are believed to confer risk for anxiety development in children; however, cultural variation of purported risk factors remains unclear. We examined relations between controlling and rejecting parenting styles, parental modeling of anxious behaviors, child interpretive biases, and child anxiety in a mixed clinically anxious (n=27) and non-clinical (n=20) sample of Latino children and at least one of their parents. Families completed discussion-based tasks and questionnaires in a lab setting.

Effect of therapeutic horseback riding on balance and gait of people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Exercise therapy is an important part of symptomatic and supportive treatment in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). According to the literature, equine-assisted therapies--such as therapeutic horseback riding (THR) and hippotherapy (HT)--are exercise therapies that can have positive physical effects on coordination, muscle tone, postural alignment, stiffness/flexibility, endurance and strength, correcting abnormal movement patterns and improving gait and balance. While HT is known to have a positive effect on balance in PwMS, data about THR are limited.

Exploring the association between cognitive functioning and anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorders: the role of social understanding and aggression.

This study examined relations between anxiety, aggression, social understanding, IQ, and diagnosis in a sample of 231 children (ages 2-9) diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs; Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) in a hospital setting. Children were administered tests of IQ, and parents completed measures of remaining variables. ASD diagnosis was associated with level of anxiety, and level of IQ explained this relation.

Mother-child disagreement in reports of child anxiety: effects of child age and maternal anxiety.

The present study examined effects of maternal anxiety, child age, and their interaction on mother-child anxiety reporting disagreement while taking into account the direction of each informant's report relative to the other. Participants were 41 dyads of mothers and clinically anxious children aged 7-13. A hierarchical regression revealed a significant interaction between maternal anxiety and child age (β = .

Maternal control, cognitive style, and childhood anxiety: a test of a theoretical model in a multi-ethnic sample.

This study tested a theoretical model of the interrelations among controlling parenting, negative cognitive styles, children's anxiety, and race/ethnicity. The model suggests that, in general, cognitive style mediates the relation between maternal control and child anxiety but that the set of associations may differ as a function of ethnicity. African American (n = 235), Latin American (n = 56), and European American (n = 136) children completed measures of their anxiety, cognitive schemas reflecting impaired autonomy/performance and disconnection/rejection domains, and maternal control.

Large-scale application of highly-diluted bacteria for Leptospirosis epidemic control.

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of major importance in the tropics where the incidence peaks in rainy seasons. Natural disasters represent a big challenge to Leptospirosis prevention strategies especially in endemic regions. Vaccination is an effective option but of reduced effectiveness in emergency situations.

Predictors of metabolic control in children with Type 1 diabetes: the impact of Hurricane Katrina in a prospective study.

Aims: To prospectively examine the effects of fear of hypoglycemia (FH), adherence to blood glucose testing, and anxiety on metabolic control in youth with Type 1 diabetes. To examine the relationships among these variables in the context of a hurricane.

Methods: Participants included 158 children completing measures at two times, with 58 participants completing measures pre- and post-Hurricane Katrina.

Interdisciplinary team working in physical and rehabilitation medicine.

Effective team working plays a crucial role in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM). As part of its role of optimizing and harmonizing clinical practice across Europe, the Professional Practice Committee of Union of European Medical Specialists (UEMS) Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) Section reviewed patterns of team working and debated recommendations for good practice at a meeting of national UEMS delegates held in Riga, Latvia, in September 2008. This consensus statement is derived from that discussion and from a review of the literature concerning team working.

Correlates of long-term posttraumatic stress symptoms in children following Hurricane Katrina.

The present study examined the roles of loss and disruption, major life events, and social support in the relationship between exposure and PTSD symptoms in a group of children 33 months after Hurricane Katrina. One hundred fifty-six 4th, 5th, and 6th graders were surveyed in the New Orleans area. Results indicated that 46% of the children reported moderate to very severe levels of PTSD symptoms.

The influence of culture on anxiety in Latino youth: a review.

This article reviews the literature on how culture influences anxiety in Latino youth. First, a review of cross-cultural variations in prevalence and measurement is presented. Then, the article focuses on how culture impacts the meaning and expression of anxiety.

Parenting strategies and socio-cultural influences in childhood anxiety: Mexican, Latin American descent, and European American families.

This study examined the relationship between anxiety in Latin American children and Latino cultural schemas, parenting strategies, being an ethnic minority, and assimilation. Latin American (n=72; LA) and white European-American (n=46; EA) children living in the U.S.

PTSD symptoms and somatic complaints following Hurricane Katrina: the roles of trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity.

This study examined the relationships between trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity and the outcome variables posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and somatic complaints following a major hurricane. Sixth and seventh graders in the New Orleans area (N = 302) were surveyed 5 to 8 months following Hurricane Katrina. As expected, hurricane exposure was a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms and somatic symptoms.

Parenting practices and childhood anxiety reporting in Mexican, Mexican American, and European American families.

Parenting practices reflecting over-control and lack of warmth and acceptance are associated with childhood anxiety in white non-Latino populations. In this study, we examined whether these parenting practices were related to childhood anxiety in Mexican-descent children. Mexican (M: n=46), Mexican American (MA: n=48), and European American (EA: n=47) families discussed three ambiguous, potentially anxiety provoking situations.

Development of a new fear of hypoglycemia scale: preliminary results.

Objective: To provide preliminary psychometric data on the Children's Hypoglycemia Index (CHI), a new scale was designed to measure fear of hypoglycemia (FH) in children.

Methods: One hundred and nine children with type 1 diabetes attending a diabetes summer camp completed the CHI, and 57 of these children completed the CHI 2 weeks later. All participants also completed the Children's Hypoglycemia Fear Survey (CHFS), the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and a Hypoglycemia History Form.

Parenting style of Mexican, Mexican American, and Caucasian-non-Hispanic families: social context and cultural influences.

To begin accounting for cultural and contextual factors related to child rearing in Mexican-descent (MD; Mexican American and Mexican immigrant) families in the United States, the current study examined parenting practices in 2-parent families of Mexican, MD, and Caucasian-non-Hispanic (CNH) parents. Parents in all groups reported using authoritative practices more often than authoritarian strategies. MD parents reported greater use of authoritarian practices than Mexican and CNH parents.

Anxiety reporting and culturally associated interpretation biases and cognitive schemas: a comparison of Mexican, Mexican American, and European American families.

This study examined whether Mexican (n = 53), Mexican American (n = 50), and European American (n = 51) children differed in their reporting of anxiety symptoms and whether parental influence and specific cognitive schemas associated with Mexican culture were related to differences in anxiety reporting. As expected, Mexican and Mexican American children reported significantly more physiological and worry symptoms than the European American children. Mexican and Mexican American children endorsed collectivism as a cultural value more strongly than European American children, and the Mexican children evidenced greatest use of social strategies reflecting simpatia.