Vaccination and Allergic Sensitization in Early Childhood - The ALADDIN Birth Cohort.

Background: The increasing incidence of allergic diseases highlights the importance of finding underlying mechanisms. Early vaccination has been suggested as one influential factor. However, it is difficult to find a study group with a large variation between subjects concerning compliance to the official vaccination program.

Somatic symptoms and internalizing problems in urban youth: a cross-cultural comparison of Czech and Russian adolescents.

Background: Although the association between somatic complaints and internalizing problems (anxiety, somatic anxiety and depression) is well established, it remains unclear whether the pattern of this relationship differs by gender and in different cultures. The aim of this study was to examine cross-cultural and gender-specific differences in the association between somatic complaints and internalizing problems in youth from the Czech Republic and Russia.

Methods: The Social and Health Assessment, a self-report survey, was completed by representative community samples of adolescents, age 12-17 years, from the Czech Republic (N = 4770) and Russia (N = 2728).

Unseen and Stressed? Gender Differences in Parent and Teacher Ratings of ADHD Symptoms and Associations With Perceived Stress in Children With ADHD.

In this study, we investigate the differences between parent and teacher ADHD ratings, and how these ratings relate to perceived stress in children with ADHD. Ratings by parents and teachers with the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham ADHD symptom rating scale (SNAP-IV) were collected from children with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD ( = 137). Also, information on medication was collected.

Associations between psychiatric symptoms and cortisol levels in Nicaraguan young school-age children.

The regulation of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis (HPA-axis) with its end product cortisol seems to be affected in several psychiatric disorders. Although findings are not conclusive, internalizing symptoms have primarily been associated with higher diurnal cortisol levels and externalizing symptoms with lower cortisol levels. In this study on nine-year-olds in Nicaragua (n=111), we investigated associations between child psychiatric symptoms, using the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL), and saliva cortisol levels collected in the morning and afternoon, also adjusting for potential confounders.

Irritable bowel syndrome and functional abdominal pain in five-year-old children are related to lifestyle.

Aim: Abdominal pain of functional origin is very common in childhood, and environmental factors are thought to be of aetiologic importance. The anthroposophic lifestyle has dietary and lifestyle characteristics that may influence child health, and this study aimed to assess the effect of such lifestyles on abdominal pain of functional origin.

Methods: A prospective Swedish lifestyle cohort (n = 470) was followed from birth to five years of age.

Does Information About Neuropsychiatric Diagnoses Influence Evaluation of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations?

This study aimed at investigating if attitudes toward children with neuropsychiatric disorders influence evaluations concerning allegations of child sexual abuse. Law students (n = 107) at Stockholm University, Sweden, were presented a transcript of a mock police interview with a girl, 11 years of age. This interview was based on a real case, selected as a "typical" example from these years concerning contributions from the interviewer and the alleged victim.

Adverse effects of psychological therapy: An exploratory study of practitioners' experiences from child and adolescent psychiatry.

The scientific knowledge about adverse effects of psychological therapies and how such effects should be detected is limited. It is possible that children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable and need specific support in order to express adverse effects. In this exploratory study, we used a qualitative approach to explore practitioners' experiences of this phenomenon.

Depressive symptoms, anxiety and academic motivation in youth: Do schools and families make a difference?

This longitudinal study aimed to examine the association between depressive and anxiety symptoms and academic motivation by gender, and whether positive school and family factors would be associated with academic motivation, in spite of the presence of such symptoms. Study participants were predominantly economically disadvantaged youths aged 13-15 years in a Northeastern US urban public school system. The Social and Health Assessment (SAHA) served as the basis for a survey undertaken in 2003 and 2004 with information being used from students who participated at both time points (N = 643).

Polymorphisms in the FK506 binding protein 5 gene are associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and diurnal cortisol levels.

Aim: Previous studies have shown an association between childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a down-regulated hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) with low diurnal cortisol levels. Given the role of the FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) as an important regulator of the negative feedback system of the HPA axis, we set out to investigate possible associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FKBP5 in relation to ADHD and diurnal cortisol levels.

Methods: Children with ADHD (n = 81) and healthy comparisons (n = 88) collected saliva four times during a regular school day for radioimmunoassay analysis of cortisol and for genotyping of five SNPs in FKBP5 (rs9296158, rs1360780, rs9470080, rs7748266 and rs9394309).

Comorbidity and Behavior Characteristics of Russian Male Juvenile Delinquents With ADHD and Conduct Disorder.

To test the previously suggested hypothesis that those with comorbid ADHD and Conduct Disorder (CD) diagnoses differ from other antisocially involved youth in terms of higher rates of violent behavior, impulsiveness, and psychopathic traits. Three hundred eighty juvenile incarcerated delinquents from Northern Russia were assessed by means of semi-structured psychiatric interview and by student and teacher self-reports. The study has demonstrated higher rates of psychiatric disorders and of comorbidity, as well as more complicated substance abuse and disruptive behaviors in those with combined ADHD-CD diagnosis, as compared with CD only, ADHD only, and no CD no ADHD groups.

Fasting blood glucose and HbA1c in children with ADHD.

Reports of hypocortisolism and overweight in pediatric ADHD motivate an investigation of blood glucose regulation in this group. Fasting blood glucose and HbA1c were investigated in 10 children (10-15 years) with ADHD and 22 comparisons. Fasting blood glucose was similar in both groups.

Anthroposophic lifestyle and salivary cortisol are associated with a lower risk of sensitization during childhood.

Background: Infants from anthroposophic families have low cortisol levels and low risk of IgE-sensitization during first 2 years of life. Our aim was to study the impact of an anthroposophic lifestyle and cortisol levels at 6 months on allergy sensitization up to age 5 years.

Methods: A total of 507 families participated from maternal healthcare centers.

Positive versus negative mental health in emerging adulthood: a national cross-sectional survey.

Background: The dual continuum model suggests that positive mental health not only implies the absence of mental illness, but also constitutes an entity of its own. Measures that encompass both positive and negative mental health in young adults are rare. Thus, we assessed whether dimensions corresponding to positive and negative mental health could be identified in a sample of young individuals.

Community violence exposure and severe posttraumatic stress in suburban American youth: risk and protective factors.

Purpose: The psychological effects of community violence exposure among inner-city youth are severe, yet little is known about its prevalence and moderators among suburban middle-class youth. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of community violence exposure among suburban American youth, to examine associated posttraumatic stress and to evaluate factors related to severe vs. less severe posttraumatic stress, such as co-existing internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as the effects of teacher support, parental warmth and support, perceived neighborhood safety and conventional involvement in this context.

Risk and protective factors for peer victimization: a 1-year follow-up study of urban American students.

This study examined whether internalizing problems, parental warmth and teacher support were associated with adolescents' experience of future peer victimization in school. Data were drawn from two rounds of the longitudinal Social and Health Assessment (SAHA). Study subjects comprised 593 US urban adolescents (aged 13.

Factors influencing the prosecution of child physical abuse cases in a Swedish metropolitan area.

Aim: To examine whether case characteristics of alleged child physical abuse, such as severity, influence criminal investigation procedures and judicial outcomes.

Method: We identified all police-reported cases of nonfatal child physical abuse during 2006 in a Swedish metropolitan area (n = 158). Case characteristics were abstracted from police records.

Effects of stimulants and atomoxetine on cortisol levels in children with ADHD.

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have lower diurnal cortisol levels than non-ADHD comparison subjects. Aiming at elucidating the effects of medications used to treat ADHD, we investigated saliva cortisol in children with ADHD: 20 without medication, 147 on methylphenidate, and 21 on atomoxetine. The only significant finding was that children on atomoxetine had higher cortisol levels at bedtime than unmedicated children.

Parental Sense of Coherence in the first 2 years of life is not related to parental and child diurnal cortisol rhythm or proxies of anthroposophic lifestyle.

Aim: Sense of Coherence (SOC) is hypothesized to have direct physiological consequences on endocrine and immunological processes. In this study, we compare parental SOC scores from pregnancy in groups of infants and parents representing different lifestyles (anthroposophic, partly anthroposophic and nonanthroposophic). We also analyse whether these could predict cortisol levels of the parents and their infants at 6-24 months postpartum.

The effect of violent and nonviolent video games on heart rate variability, sleep, and emotions in adolescents with different violent gaming habits.

Objective: To study cardiac, sleep-related, and emotional reactions to playing violent (VG) versus nonviolent video games (NVG) in adolescents with different gaming habits.

Methods: Thirty boys (aged 13-16 years, standard deviation = 0.9), half of them low-exposed (≤1 h/d) and half high-exposed (≥3 h/d) to violent games, played a VG/NVG for 2 hours during two different evenings in their homes.

Early psychosocial adversity and cortisol levels in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Previous studies suggest a different regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis) with lower diurnal cortisol levels, especially in the morning, in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with controls. Since exposure to foetal and childhood psychosocial adversity has been associated with both ADHD and HPA-axis functioning, such exposures may explain these low cortisol levels in ADHD via early programming of the HPA-axis. Thus, our main aim was to retrospectively study foetal and early childhood exposures to psychosocial adversity in children with ADHD and to relate these exposures to cortisol levels.

Daily life impact of malocclusion in Swedish adolescents: a grounded theory study.

Objective: To explore how malocclusions affect daily life in adolescents and how adolescents cope with malocclusion-related distress.

Materials And Methods: Twelve strategically selected teenagers, seven girls and five boys aged 13-14 years, participated in this study. Open, tape-recorded in-depth interviews based on Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were performed using a theme guide and analyzed according to the qualitative method of classic grounded theory (GT).

Cortisol levels in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Regulation of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis (HPA-axis) and its end product cortisol differs among persons with certain psychiatric disorders when compared with controls. Some reports concern Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) but findings are inconclusive. In this study we collected four saliva samples during a regular weekday in children, 6-17 years old, with ADHD (n = 201) and non-affected comparisons (n = 221).

Lifestyle and salivary cortisol at the age of 12 and 24 months.

Aim: To analyse salivary cortisol levels in 12- and 24-month-olds from families with an anthroposophic lifestyle and comparisons ('partly anthroposophic' and 'non-anthroposophic').

Methods: Salivary samples were collected at child ages of 12 (n = 178) and 24 (n = 149) months. Cortisol was analysed with radioimmunoassay technique.