Impulsivity and internalizing disorders in childhood.

Impulsivity has often been related to externalizing disorders, but little is known about how it is related to symptoms of internalizing disorders. This study aims to examine the relationship between impulsivity and depression and anxiety symptoms of depression and anxiety in childhood, and compare it with its relationship with a measure of aggressive behavior, which is present in many externalizing disorders. We administered the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 for children, the Children's Depression Inventory and the Screen for Children's Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders to a case-control sample of 562 children aged between 9 and 13 who were selected from an epidemiological study of anxiety and depression and whose teachers provided information about their proactive and reactive aggression.

[Comorbidity between SCARED anxiety factors and depressive symptomatology in 8- to 12-year-old children].

The aim of this study was to examine the comorbidity between the SCARED anxiety factors and depressive symptoms in 8-12-year-old children. Participants were 792 girls and 715 boys, who completed: the 41-ítem version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorder (SCARED), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and a Socio-demographic questionnaire. Of the sample, 47% showed anxiety symptoms and 11.

BDNF Val66Met polymorphism, energy intake and BMI: a follow-up study in schoolchildren at risk of eating disorders.

Background: Eating disorders (ED) have a multifactorial aetiology in which genetics play an important role. Several studies have found an association between the Val66Met (G196A) polymorphism of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Eating disorders.The aim of this study was to determine the association of the Val66Met (G196A) polymorphism of the BDNF gene and its effect on eating disorders (ED), energy intake and BMI in schoolchildren.

Parent-child agreement in SCARED and its relationship to anxiety symptoms.

The aim of this study is to analyze parent-child agreement in the Spanish version of the Screen for Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders and its relationship with the anxiety symptoms reported in a scheduled interview and the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents in order to establish the best informant and the degree of incremental validity when both sources of information are combined. Results indicated that, as in the original English version, parent-children agreement is low, with parents clearly tending to report fewer severe symptoms than children. When both parent and child versions were related to anxiety symptoms of the scheduled interview, children showed higher relationships than parents with all the anxiety categories reported by the scheduled interview.

Psychometric properties of the Spanish adaptation of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11-A for children.

Given difficulty in having children assess their own behaviour, there are few self-reports on child impulsivity. With the exception of Eysenck's 16 questionnaire, there are no self-report measures of impulsivity in children with good psychometric properties. The present study tested the possibility of using the adolescent version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 with children.

Teacher reports of peer aggression in preschool: its relationship to DSM-IV externalizing symptoms.

Objective: to establish the prevalence and associations of peer aggression as manifested in preschool children, in community-based populations and to study links with DSM-IV externalizing diagnoses.

Method: Subjects were 1104 children, 3-to-5-year-olds attending rural and urban pre-schools classes. Teachers completed the Peer Conflict Scale (PCS) to inform about direct physical and verbal aggression, object aggression and symbolic aggression and the questionnaire on psychopathology ECI-4.

Functional and dysfunctional impulsivity in childhood and adolescence.

There are few self-reports of impulsivity dealing with children, although this personality trait has been related to many behaviour problems in both children and adolescents. The appropriateness of the Dickman Impulsivity Inventory for Children (DII-c) and the Dickman Impulsivity Inventory (DII) to measure impulsivity in children and adolescents was assessed. The factorial structure of the DII-c and the internal consistencies for both inventories suggest the measured dimensions are not consistent until adulthood.

Personality in non-clinical adolescents with eating disorders.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine whether personality-related differences also exist in non-clinical adolescents with any given type of eating disorder (ED) and whether personality characteristics are associated with changes in the course of the diagnosis.

Method: An initial sample of 1336 boys and girls (mean age: 11.37, SD = 0.

Neonatal behaviour characteristics and psychological problems at 6 years.

Aim: To examine the predictive capacity of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) on psychological problems at the age of 6 y.

Methods: Eighty full-term infants of optimal health were evaluated at 3 d and 4 wk of age with the NBAS and at 6 y with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Inattention-Overactivity with Aggression Conners Teacher's Rating Scale (IOWA).

Results: The NBAS clusters' predictive value was different at 3 d and at 4 wk.

Parents and teachers reports of DSM-IV psychopathological symptoms in preschool children: differences between urban-rural Spanish areas.

Background: This study used DSM-IV criteria to analyse reports from teachers and parents and to compare behavioural and emotional symptoms in Spanish preschool children from both urban and rural populations.

Method: The field survey was conducted in two geographical areas in Catalonia (Spain). A sample of 1104 children (56.

Effect of B1-, B6- and iron intake during pregnancy on neonatal behavior.

The aim of this study was to analyze how micronutrient intake during preconception and pregnancy affects neonatal behavior. A total of 66 healthy women volunteers were studied during preconception and in weeks 6, 10, 26, and 38 of pregnancy using the seven-day dietary record. The behavior of the newborn infant was assessed after three days of life using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS).

Psychological problems and nutritional status in 6-year-old children.

There were no relations between nutritional status and psychological problems in 83 nonclinical 6-yr.-old children from low-risk socioeconomic and family backgrounds. Only Vitamin B12 and weight were significantly lower in the group with psychological problems.

Psychological problems and associated factors at 6 years of age: differences between sexes.

In a non-clinical group of 130 children (65 boys and 65 girls), we evaluated the relationships between psychological problems using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) reported by parents, the Inattention Overactivity With Aggression (IOWA) scale reported by teachers, individual factors (Intellectual quotient [IQ], temperament and heart rate) and environmental factors (stress events, mother's profession and being or not being an only child). We found no differences between the sexes in the prevalence of total psychological problems in the clinical range, but girls had significantly more borderline total problems than boys. Girls tended to have more externalizing problems than boys.

Parental reports of somatic symptoms in preschool children: prevalence and associations in a Spanish sample.

Objective: To document prevalence and associations of somatic symptoms in Spanish preschool children.

Method: Subjects were 3- to 5-year-olds attending nurseries (8 urban, 30 rural). Parental questionnaires (response rate 77%) were used to inquire about somatic symptoms in the child in the 2 weeks prior to assessment, about preschool absence and pediatric help-seeking, chronic family health problems, and recent stressful life events for the child.

Discriminant validity of the Eating Attitudes Test according to American Psychiatric Association and World Health Organization criteria of eating disorders.

The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity, the specificity, and the positive predictive value of the Eating Attitudes Test in a sample of Spanish nonclinical 18-yr.-olds. 304 subjects answered the Eating Attitudes Test-40, 290 of whom were interviewed individually with the Spanish version of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry.

Predictors of depression at eighteen. A 7-year follow-up study in a Spanish nonclinical population.

This study prospectively examined predicting factors and depressive antecedents of depression in early adulthood and determined differences by sex. 199 adolescents aged 11-12 from the general community were followed up annually for 4 years and reassessed at 18 years of age. Sociodemographic data, depressive symptomatology, anxiety level, personality dimensions, self-esteem, academic aptitude and pubertal development were reported throughout this period and tested as possible risk variables of depression.