Covariation between reading and arithmetic skills from Grade 1 to Grade 7

This study examined the extent to which reading and arithmetic skills show covariation at Grade 1 and at Grade 7, to what extent this covariation is time-invariant or time-specific, and to what extent different antecedents will predict these time-invariant and time-specific portions of the covariation. The reading and arithmetic skills of a total of 1335 Finnish children were assessed at the end of Grade 1 and then again at the end of Grade 7. Phonological awareness, letter knowledge, rapid automatized naming (RAN), counting, and parental education levels were measured in kindergarten; working memory at Grade 1 and nonverbal reasoning at Grade 3. The results showed that reading and arithmetic had a substantial amount of covariation at grades 1 and 7, and that most of the covariation between these grades was time-invariant and could be predicted by RAN, counting, letter knowledge, working memory, and nonverbal reasoning. The time-specific portion of the covariation between reading and arithmetic in Grade 1 was predicted by phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and counting; while time-specific covariation in Grade 7 was predicted by parental education level and nonverbal reasoning.     

Comorbidity of PTSD in anxiety and depressive disorders: Prevalence and shared risk factors

The present study aims to assess comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in anxiety and depressive disorders and to determine whether childhood trauma types and other putative independent risk factors for comorbid PTSD are unique to PTSD or shared with anxiety and depressive disorders. The sample of 2402 adults aged 18–65 included healthy controls, persons with a prior history of affective disorders, and persons with a current affective disorder. These individuals were assessed at baseline (T0) and 2 (T2) and 4 years (T4) later. At each wave, DSM-IV-TR based anxiety and depressive disorder, neuroticism, extraversion, and symptom severity were assessed. Childhood trauma was measured at T0 with an interview and at T4 with a questionnaire, and PTSD was measured with a standardized interview at T4. Prevalence of 5-year recency PTSD among anxiety and depressive disorders was 9.2%, and comorbidity, in particular with major depression, was high (84.4%). Comorbidity was associated with female gender, all types of childhood trauma, neuroticism, (low) extraversion, and symptom severity. Multivariable significant risk factors (i.e., female gender and child sexual and physical abuse) were shared among anxiety and depressive disorders. Our results support a shared vulnerability model for comorbidity of anxiety and depressive disorders with PTSD. Routine assessment of PTSD in patients with anxiety and depressive disorders seems warranted.     

Posttraumatic stress avoidance symptoms as mediators in the development of alcohol use disorders after exposure to childhood sexual abuse in a Swiss community sample

This study examined the role of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms of re-experience, avoidance, and hyperarousal in the relationship between different types of trauma and alcohol use disorders (AUD). We used data from 731 trauma-exposed individuals who participated in the first wave of the PsyCoLaus-study. Trauma characteristics were assessed relatively to the occurrence of lifetime PTSD symptoms and AUD. The results suggest that lifetime and childhood sexual abuse as well as overall childhood trauma were directly linked to AUD and PTSD symptoms, in particular to avoidance symptoms. From single symptom clusters PTSD avoidance was found to specifically mediate the trauma-AUD pathway. Both childhood and sexual trauma strongly contribute to the comorbidity of PTSD and AUD and avoidance-type symptoms appear to play a central role in maintaining this association. Hence, the alleviation of avoidance symptoms might be an important target for therapeutic intervention among victims of sexual abuse before specific addiction treatment is initiated.     

Diagnosis and treatment children and adolescents with autism and ADHD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism are neurodevelopmental disorders that emerge in childhood. There is increasing recognition that ADHD and autism frequently co-occur. Yet, questions remain among clinicians regarding the best ways to evaluate and treat co-occurring autism and ADHD. This review outlines issues relevant to providing evidence-based practice to individuals and families who may be experiencing difficulties associated with co-occurring autism and ADHD. After describing the complexities of the co-occurrence of autism and ADHD, we present practical considerations for best practice assessment and treatment of co-occurring autism and ADHD. Regarding assessment, this includes considerations for interviewing parents/caregivers and youth, using validated parent and teacher rating scales, conducting cognitive assessments, and conducting behavior observations. Regarding treatment, consideration is given to behavioral management, school-based interventions, social skills development, and the use of medications. Throughout, we note the quality of evidence that supports a particular component of assessment or treatment, highlighting when evidence is most relevant to those with co-occurring autism and ADHD across stages of development. In light of the current evidence for assessment and treatment of co-occurring autism and ADHD, we conclude by outlining practical implications for clinical and educational practice.     

Hospitalized youth and child abuse: A systematic examination of psychiatric morbidity and clinical severity

Many children and adolescents who require psychiatric hospitalization have been physically or sexually abused, yet the association between reported histories of abuse and the complexity and severity of mental illness among psychiatrically hospitalized youth is poorly described with regard to current inpatient psychiatric practice. We sought to determine the association between histories of abuse and psychiatric complexity and severity in psychiatrically hospitalized youth including comorbidity patterns, psychotropic medication use, reason for admission and length of hospitalization. A systematic chart review was performed on 1433 consecutive psychiatric hospitalizations of children and adolescents that occurred over a 10-month period. Children with a history of abuse were more likely to be diagnosed with multiple DSM-IV-TR disorders than non-traumatized children. A history of sexual abuse was associated with more medication use than in their non-traumatized peers and a higher likelihood of treatment with antipsychotic medications, both at admission and discharge. Physical and sexual abuse were independently associated with increased length of stays, with exposure to both physical and sexual abuse associated with a 2-day increase in duration of hospitalization compared to non-traumatized patients. The findings from this study draw attention to the adverse impact of abuse on psychiatric morbidity and complexity and suggest the need for trauma-informed treatment in psychiatric hospital settings.     

Peritoneal dialysis for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: a retrospective study

To describe the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) who are on peritoneal dialysis (PD) therapy. We performed a retrospective matched-cohort analysis comparing the clinical outcomes of 30 ADPKD patients with those of 30 non-diabetic patients who had bilateral small kidneys between July 1 2007 and July 31 2014. The patient groups were matched by age, gender, and time of PD initiation. There were no significant differences in the demographic or biochemical parameters, comorbid conditions, residual glomerular filtration rate, or Charlson comorbidity score at the beginning of PD. The median renal volume was 1315 ml for the ADPKD group and 213 ml for the control group. Patients with ADPKD had similar 3-year patient survival (90.6% versus 86.3%, P=0.807) and technique survival (89.2% versus 74.3%, P=0.506) compared with non-ADPKD patients. Also, there was no significant difference in the peritonitis-free survival between the ADPKD and control groups (P=0.22), and rates of peritonitis were similar (0.19 versus 0.21 episodes per patient-year, P=0.26). No differences were observed in the incidence of PD-related complications, such as hernia and dialysate leak. ADPKD is not a contraindication for PD, and a subgroup of ADPKD patients with relatively small kidney volume can be treated using PD.     

“Just dreaming of them”: The Berlin Project for Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse by Juveniles (PPJ)

The Berlin Project for Primary Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse by Juveniles (PPJ) offers diagnostic and therapeutic help to 12-to-18-year-old juveniles with a sexual preference for the prepubescent and/or early pubescent body of children and who apply for treatment on a voluntary basis. The project goal is to prevent primary or recurrent child sexual abuse as well as primary or recurrent use of child abuse images. Treatment aims to enable affected juveniles to obtain control over their conflictual sexual behaviors. In the present article, the origin of the PPJ; its main approach, including the conception of a media campaign; as well as results from the first year of a three-year study are presented. Further, initial characterizations of juveniles taking part in the project for the first 12 months are provided. The results confirmed that the group of 12-to-18-year-old juveniles with a sexual preference for prepubescent and/or early pubescent minors exists as a target group for primary preventive measures and that they can be assessed for their sexual preferences.     

Post-traumatic stress and related symptoms among juvenile detention residents: Results from intake screening

BackgroundJuvenile justice-involved youth have high rates of trauma exposure, physical and sexual abuse and PTSD. Several factors have been found to be related to PTSD symptoms in youth including number and chronicity of traumatic events.ObjectiveTo simultaneously examine the relationships between allostatic load (defined here as number of traumatic experiences), poly-victimization (exposure to two or more forms of victimization based on 5 of the 6 categories in Ford et al.’s 2010 study), physical/sexual abuse and PTSD in justice-involved youth.Participants and SettingThe sample consisted of 1984 youth in juvenile detention in a Northeastern city. The sample was 73.4% male and the majority of youth were either African American or Hispanic.MethodsClinicians collected demographic and psychosocial information, and measured symptoms of PTSD, depression, and problematic substance use.ResultsResults showed that youth with more traumas, those who experienced poly-victimization and those who experienced physical/sexual assault/abuse were not only more likely to have PTSD, but also more likely to have depression, thoughts of suicide/self-harm, and problematic substance use (as indicated by the presence of 2 or more of 6 possible indicators). Poly-victimization was a stronger correlate of PTSD than number of traumas or physical/sexual assault/abuse. However, among youth with PTSD, number of traumas was associated with co-occurring problems while poly-victimization and physical/sexual assault/abuse were not.ConclusionsFindings can be used to help direct resources to juvenile justice-involved youth who are most in need of treatment.     

Early cognitive profiles predicting reading and arithmetic skills in grades 1 and 7

The aim of this study was to investigate cognitive profiles composed of skills predicting the overlap between reading and arithmetic in kindergarten (phonological awareness, letter knowledge, rapid automatized naming, and counting sequence knowledge) and the relation of these profiles to reading and arithmetic skills at Grades 1 and 7. A total of four distinct cognitive profiles were identified in an unselected sample of 1,710 children aged 5–6 years: (1) high linguistic and high counting skills (39.2%), (2) low linguistic and low counting skills (25.4%), (3) high counting skills in relation to linguistic skills (15.3%), and (4) low counting skills in relation to linguistic skills (20.1%). Among most of the children (about 65%), the linguistic and counting skills varied together. Children characterized by high or low overall performance levels across linguistic and counting skills also showed, predictably, high or low overall performance levels in subsequent reading and arithmetic skills in Grades 1 and 7. Children characterized by a discrepancy between linguistic and counting skills (about 35% of the children) in turn showed somewhat discrepant subsequent levels of reading and arithmetic skills. The results point towards individual variation (i.e., heterogeneity) in cognitive profiles that predict both reading and arithmetic skills in Grades 1 and 7. Based on these findings, the linguistic and basic number skills predict differently the overlap between reading and arithmetic in Grades 1 and 7 depending on cognitive profile. The weaknesses across linguistic and counting skills are a greater risk for persistent overlapping difficulties in reading and arithmetic than weaknesses in only one of the learning domains. For difficulties in arithmetic skill development, however, weaknesses in only counting skills present an equal risk compared to weaknesses evident across linguistic and counting skills.     

Which similarity measure to use in network analysis: Impact of sample size on phi correlation coefficient and Ochiai index

Some networks are explicit where members make direct connections (e.g. Facebook network), whereas other networks are implicit (e.g. co-citation network) in which an edge between two nodes is inferred using a similarity index. Choosing the right index to infer connections in an implicit/inferred network is important because conclusions can be biased if a network does not represent true relationships. In this study, we compared two indexes: Phi Correlation Coefficient (PCC) and Ochiai Coefficient (Och) based on their sensitivity to the sample size of transactions from where the network is inferred. For demonstration, we used an implicit network, called a comorbidity network, developed from health records of 22.1 million patients. The networks were compared based on their overall topologies and node centralities. Results showed that the network formed using Och was more robust to the sample size than PCC. The network using Och followed a small-world topology irrespective of the sample size whereas the structure of a network using PCC was inconsistent. Regarding node centralities, the betweenness centrality was most affected by the sample size. Our results lead us to recommend Och over PCC.