Gender dysphoria in adolescence: examining the rapid-onset hypothesis.

The sharp rise in the number of predominantly natal female adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria and seeking treatment in specialized clinics has sparked a contentious and polarized debate among both the scientific community and the public sphere. Few explanations have been offered for these recent developments. One proposal that has generated considerable attention is the notion of "rapid-onset" gender dysphoria, which is assumed to apply to a subset of adolescents and young adults.

Treatment of psychiatric comorbidities and interaction patterns in Coffin-Siris syndrome: A case report of a 4-year-old girl.

Coffin-Siris syndrome (CSS) is a rare genetic disorder and often co-occurs with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum (ASD). The present case study illustrates possible therapeutic interventions of these common psychiatric comorbidities taking into account the family interaction patterns. This can contribute to improve holistic management and overall level of functionality.

Unresolved attachment and identity diffusion in adolescence.

This study examined the severity of unresolved attachment underlying adolescent identity diffusion. Our sample consisted of 180 inpatient adolescents aged 14 to 18 years (77% female, = 15.13, = 1.

Personality Disorders and Attachment Trauma in Adolescent Patients with Psychiatric Disorders.

This study examined how personality disorders (PD) differ with respect to gender, attachment status and traumatic childhood experiences in adolescent psychiatric inpatients. In particular, we investigated attachment-related traumatic material underlying adolescent PD. Our sample consisted of 175 inpatient adolescents aged 14 to 18 years (77% female, M = 15.

Attachment Trauma Is Associated with White Matter Fiber Microstructural Alterations in Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa before and after Exposure to Psychotherapeutic and Nutritional Treatment.

In the present study, we explore the role of attachment for microstructural white matter (WM) changes in adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) before and after exposure to short-term and nutritional treatment. The case sample consisted of 22 female adolescent inpatients with AN (mean age: 15.2 ± 1.

Evaluation of visual food stimuli paradigms on healthy adolescents for future use in fMRI studies in anorexia nervosa.

Background: Mostly, visual food stimuli paradigms for functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging are used in studies of eating disorders. However, the optimal contrasts and presentation modes are still under discussion. Therefore, we aimed to create and analyse a visual stimulation paradigm with defined contrast.

Secure Attachment Representation in Adolescence Buffers Heart-Rate Reactivity in Response to Attachment-Related Stressors.

To date, we know very little about the effects of the differences in attachment classifications on the physiological correlates of stress regulation in adolescent age groups. The present study examined for the first time heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) during an attachment interview in adolescents. HR and HRV data were collected during a baseline assessment as well as during the administration of the () in a community-based sample of 56 adolescents (26 females and 30 males, mean age = 16.

Attachment status is associated with grey matter recovery in adolescent anorexia nervosa: Findings from a longitudinal study.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether grey matter (GM) reductions in acute anorexia nervosa (AN) are (i) valid for adolescents (age 14-18 years), (ii) reversible following short-term psychotherapeutic and nutritional therapy and (iii) depend on psychological components like attachment trauma. 3T MRI including a high-resolution T1 MPRAGE was performed in 22 female adolescents in the acute state of AN (age: 15.2 ± 1.

[Attachment-Related Affect Regulation of Mothers in a Psychiatric Parent-Child Ward - A Case Study].

Attachment researchers propose that the term affect regulation is associated with attachment-related defensive processes resulting from attachment experiences with primary caregivers. They serve to regulate attachment-related inner states. The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) is a reliable and valid tool to classify attachment patterns and it allows to assess these attachment-related defensive processes.

Decorated bodies for eternal life: A multidisciplinary study of late Roman Period stucco-shrouded portrait mummies from Saqqara (Egypt).

This study focuses on the multidisciplinary investigation of three stucco-shrouded mummies with mummy portrait from Egypt dating from the late 3rd to the middle of the 4th century AD, corresponding to the late Roman Period. These three mummies were excavated in the early 17th and late 19th centuries in the Saqqara necropolis near the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. Two of them experienced an interesting collection history, when they became part of the collection of the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland August II in Dresden, Germany, in 1728.

Unresolved Attachment Mediates the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Impaired Personality Functioning in Adolescence.

The present study investigates the mediating effect of attachment trauma on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and personality functioning in 199 adolescents (12-18 years) using a novel approach of an in-depth analysis of attachment-related traumatic contents during an attachment interview (AAP). Our findings demonstrate that adolescents with a high amount of traumatic attachment-related material show a lower resilience when facing traumatic childhood experiences, resulting in a greater severity of personality dysfunction. In particular, the associations between emotional abuse and neglect and the domains of identity, empathy, self-direction, and intimacy were mediated by the severity of attachment trauma.

The role of attachment characteristics in dialectical behavior therapy for patients with borderline personality disorder.

Attachment characteristics play a key role in understanding borderline-specific problems with respect to childhood maltreatment. The aim of this study was to investigate how attachment representations may influence the trajectory of change in a 1-year outpatient dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Attachment representations were assessed in 26 BPD patients and 26 healthy controls (HC) using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) before treatment.

Disorder-specific attachment characteristics and experiences of childhood abuse and neglect in adolescents with anorexia nervosa and a major depressive episode.

For the first time, the present study investigates disorder-specific attachment characteristics and childhood trauma in adolescent inpatients with anorexia nervosa (n = 30, girls/boys: 28/2, age: M = 14.84, SD = 1.20), a major depressive episode (n = 30, girls/boys: 27/3, age: M = 15.

Use of the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System in the formulation of a case of an adolescent refugee with PTSD.

Forced displacements and their psychosocial consequences in adolescent refugees and their families have received increasing attention in recent years. Although supportive family relations play a key role in buffering the impact of traumatization in adolescents, parental ability to provide such is often subject to extreme pressure. Under conditions of forced dislocation and fear, maladaptive interpersonal strategies in the parent-child relationships may develop, contributing to the onset of psychopathology.

Facial Behavior During an Attachment Interview in Patients With Complicated Grief.

The present study investigated differences in various aspects of facial behavior among female patients with complicated grief (CG; n = 18) and healthy controls (n = 18) during the assessment of their attachment representation using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System. All patients were classified with an unresolved attachment status. On a behavioral level, they demonstrated longer gazing behavior away from the interviewer and the picture stimuli, more speech pauses, less smiling toward the interviewer, and more crying, especially in response to stimuli portraying the theme of loss.

[Treatment Outcome in Female In-Patients with Anorexia nervosa and Comorbid Personality Disorders Prevalence - Therapy Drop out and Weight Gain].

Personality disorders (PD) are among the most common comorbid disorders in female patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). Recent research findings suggest that comorbid PD are associated with a higher treatment drop-out rate and a worse therapeutic outcome. However, no study to date has distinguished between certain age groups concerning these issues.

High Prevalence of Insecure Attachment in Patients with Primary Hypertension.

Hypertension is a major cardiovascular (CV) risk factor and is predicted by heightened CV reactivity to stress in healthy individuals. Patients with hypertension also show an altered stress response, while insecure attachment is linked to a heightened stress reactivity as well. This is the first study aiming to assess attachment representations in patients with primary hypertension and to investigate their CV responses when their attachment system is activated.

[Influence and Change of Self-Directedness in Dialectical Behavior Therapy].

Investigate influence and change of self-directedness (SD) in Dialectical-Behavior Therapy (DBT) for 26 female outpatients with borderline personality disorder (BPS). Variance analyses are used to evaluate psychopathology and interpersonal problems in 2 subgroups (low vs. high SD) with questionnaires at 3 measuring times over the period of 1 year.

Lower Oxytocin Plasma Levels in Borderline Patients with Unresolved Attachment Representations.

Interpersonal problems and affective dysregulation are core characteristics of borderline personality disorder (BPD). BPD patients predominantly show unresolved attachment representations. The oxytocin (OT) system is associated with human social attachment and affiliative behavior, and OT dysregulation may be related to distinct attachment characteristics.

Assessing Attachment Representations in Adolescents: Discriminant Validation of the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System.

The contribution of attachment to human development and clinical risk is well established for children and adults, yet there is relatively limited knowledge about attachment in adolescence due to the poor availability of construct valid measures. The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) is a reliable and valid instrument to assess adult attachment status. This study examines for the first time the discriminant validity of the AAP in adolescents.

Eating disorders in adolescence: attachment issues from a developmental perspective.

In the present article we review findings from an emerging body of research on attachment issues in adolescents with eating disorders from a developmental perspective. Articles for inclusion in this review were identified from PsychINFO (1966-2013), Sciencedirect (1970-2013), Psychindex (1980-2013), and Pubmed (1980-2013). First, we will outline the crucial developmental changes in the attachment system and discuss how they might be related to the early onset of the disease.

Attachment classification, psychophysiology and frontal EEG asymmetry across the lifespan: a review.

In recent years research on physiological response and frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) asymmetry in different patterns of infant and adult attachment has increased. We review research findings regarding associations between attachment classifications and frontal EEG asymmetry, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA). Studies indicate that insecure attachment is related to a heightened adrenocortical activity, heart rate and skin conductance in response to stress, which is consistent with the hypothesis that attachment insecurity leads to impaired emotion regulation.