Universal-based prevention of syndromal and subsyndromal social anxiety: A randomized controlled study.

This article reports results from a universal preventive program aimed at (a) reducing social anxiety and (b) preventing the development of syndromal social anxiety among a population-based sample of older children and young adolescents during a 1-year period. Pupils (N = 1,748) from 2 counties were cluster randomized to either an intervention or a control condition. In the intervention condition, the Norwegian Universal Preventive Program for Social Anxiety (NUPP-SA)—which educates pupils, parents/guardians, teachers/school staff, and county health workers—was administered. The results indicate that NUPP-SA had a significant specific intervention effect for reducing social anxiety in the total sample as well as among the syndromal subjects. Further, significantly fewer subjects from the intervention county developed syndromal social anxiety during the 1-year period, thus showing a prevention effect. The results demonstrate the value of an intervention specifically aimed at reducing social anxiety and preventing the development of syndromal social anxiety among young people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Elevated social anxiety among early maturing girls.

Adolescence is a key period in terms of the development of anxiety psychopathology. An emerging literature suggests that early pubertal maturation is associated with enhanced vulnerability for anxiety symptomatology, although few studies have examined this association with regard to social anxiety. Accordingly, the current study was designed to further elucidate the relation between pubertal timing and social anxiety, with a focus on clarifying the role of gender. Participants were 138 adolescents (ages 12–17 years) recruited from the general community. Level of social anxiety was examined as a function of gender and within-sample pubertal timing. As expected, early maturing girls evidenced significantly higher social anxiety, compared with on-time girls and early maturing boys, and no other differences were found as a function of gender or developmental timing. Findings and future directions are discussed in terms of forwarding developmentally sensitive models of social anxiety etiology and prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experience of musical performance anxiety in elementary school children.

Performance anxiety is a common problem for musicians. Although empirical research on adult musicians is growing, child musicians have largely been overlooked. This study examined the experience of performance anxiety in 173 children. Participants in Grades 3-7 completed the State form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (C. D. Spielberger, D. C. Edwards, R. E. Lushene, J. Montuori, & D. Platzek, 1973) at 2 points in time: during a regular school day and on the day of a major school concert. Trait anxiety was also measured on the 1st occasion. It was found that state anxiety was significantly higher on the day of the school concert and was related to children's level of trait anxiety. No differences were found for type of music class. Gender differences were apparent in upper elementary grades. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The validity of the desired effects of drinking scale with a late adolescent sample.

This study evaluated the validity of the Desired Effects of Drinking Scale (DEoDS) with a late adolescent sample. This brief measure (37 items) was designed to assess reasons for drinking across 9 domains. Across a culturally diverse sample of late adolescents (ages 18-20 years), this measure evidenced high internal consistency, particularly when all items were summed in 1 full-scale score. Contrary to the factors found with adults, 8 factors emerged with this sample. No differences were found by culture, providing initial evidence for the cross-cultural validity of this measure. In addition, gender differences emerged for only 1 factor. Overall, the results provide empirical support for the use of this measure to assess late adolescents' and emerging adults' reasons for drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Seeds of wisdom: Adolescents' knowledge and judgment about difficult life problems.

The present study examined adolescents' wisdom-related knowledge and judgment with a heterogeneous sample of 146 adolescents (ages 14–20 years) and a comparison sample of 58 young adults (ages 21–37 years). Participants responded to difficult and ill-defined life dilemmas; expert raters evaluated these responses along 5 wisdom criteria. Our findings confirmed that in contrast to adulthood, adolescence is a major period for normative age-graded development in knowledge about difficult life problems. Adolescents performed at lower levels than young adults but also demonstrated substantial age increments in performance. As expected, adolescents' performance varied as a function of criterion and gender. These results hold implications for research on adolescent development and for the development of wisdom-related knowledge and judgment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child Anxiety Treatment: Outcomes in Adolescence and Impact on Substance Use and Depression at 7.4-Year Follow-Up.

Research suggests that the sequelae of childhood anxiety disorders, if left untreated, can include chronic anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. The current study evaluated the maintenance of outcomes of children who received a 16-week cognitive-behavioral treatment for primary anxiety disorders (generalized, separation, and social anxiety disorders) an average of 7.4 years earlier. The 86 participants (ages 15 to 22 years; 91% of the original sample) and their parents completed diagnostic interviews and self- and parent-report measures. According to the diagnostic interviews, a meaningful percentage of participants maintained significant improvements in anxiety at long-term follow-up. With regard to sequelae, positive responders to anxiety treatment, as compared with less positive responders, had a reduced amount of substance use involvement and related problems at long-term follow-up. The findings are discussed with regard to child anxiety and some of its sequelae. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Relationship Between Automatic Thoughts and Negative Emotions in Children and Adolescents: A Test of the Cognitive Content-Specificity Hypothesis.

The aim of this study was to test the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis in children and adolescents aged 7-16 years. Participants consisted of a community sample of 200 youth and a clinical sample of 160 youth with anxiety, depressive, or disruptive behavior disorders. Participants completed several self-report measures assessing a wide range of negative beliefs and symptoms of internalizing and externalizing problems. Multivariate analyses examining the interrelationships between beliefs and noncognitive symptoms revealed that thoughts on loss or personal failure were the strongest predictors of depressive symptoms, thoughts on social threat were the strongest predictors of anxiety symptoms, and thoughts on hostility or revenge were the strongest predictors of aggression. Results showed clear evidence of cognitive-affective specificity across both internalizing and externalizing problems in youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent peer relationships and behavior problems predict young adults’ communication on social networking websites.

This study examined online communication on social networking web pages in a longitudinal sample of 92 youths (39 male, 53 female). Participants’ social and behavioral adjustment was assessed when they were ages 13–14 years and again at ages 20–22 years. At ages 20–22 years, participants’ social networking website use and indicators of friendship quality on their web pages were coded by observers. Results suggested that youths who had been better adjusted at ages 13–14 years were more likely to be using social networking web pages at ages 20–22 years, after statistically controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, and parental income. Overall, youths’ patterns of peer relationships, friendship quality, and behavioral adjustment at ages 13–14 years and at ages 20–22 years predicted similar qualities of interaction and problem behavior on their social networking websites at ages 20–22 years. Findings are consistent with developmental theory asserting that youths display cross-situational continuity in their social behaviors and suggest that the conceptualization of continuity may be extended into the online domain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement of emotion dysregulation in adolescents.

The construct of emotion dysregulation increasingly has been used to explain diverse psychopathologies across the lifespan. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; K. L. Gratz & L. Roemer, 2004) represents the most comprehensive measure of the construct to date and exhibits good reliability and validity in adults; however, the measure has yet to be tested in adolescents. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the DERS in a community sample of 428 adolescents (ages 13–17 years). Exploratory factor analysis supported a 6-factor structure consistent with the 6 DERS subscales. Internal consistencies for the subscales were good to excellent (alphas ranged from .76 to .89). In support of the measure’s construct validity, the DERS exhibited robust correlations with psychological problems reflecting emotion dysregulation, specifically depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, alcohol use, and drug use. Intercorrelations among the DERS subscales ranged from negligible to high (range: r = .04 to r = .68), and potential problems with discriminant validity were noted. In general, results support the reliability and validity of the DERS as a measure of emotion dysregulation in adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation between instrumental musical activity and cognitive aging.

Objective: Intensive repetitive musical practice can lead to bilateral cortical reorganization. However, whether musical sensorimotor and cognitive abilities transfer to nonmusical cognitive abilities that are maintained throughout the life span is unclear. In an attempt to identify modifiable lifestyle factors that may potentially enhance successful aging, we evaluated the association between musical instrumental participation and cognitive aging. Method: Seventy older healthy adults (ages 60–83) varying in musical activity completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. The groups (nonmusicians, low and high activity musicians) were matched on age, education, history of physical exercise, while musicians were matched on age of instrumental acquisition and formal years of musical training. Musicians were classified in the low (1–9 years) or high (>10 years) activity group based on years of musical experience throughout their life span. Results: The results of this preliminary study revealed that participants with at least 10 years of musical experience (high activity musicians) had better performance in nonverbal memory (η2 = .106), naming (η2 = .103), and executive processes (η2 = .131) in advanced age relative to nonmusicians. Several regression analyses evaluated how years of musical activity, age of acquisition, type of musical training, and other variables predicted cognitive performance. Conclusions: These correlational results suggest a strong predictive effect of high musical activity throughout the life span on preserved cognitive functioning in advanced age. A discussion of how musical participation may enhance cognitive aging is provided along with other alternative explanations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective evaluation of anxiety sensitivity in the pathogenesis of panic: Replication and extension.

Increasing evidence suggests that anxiety sensitivity (AS) may be a premorbid risk factor for the development of anxiety pathology. The principal aim of this study was to replicate and extend a previous longitudinal study evaluating whether AS acts as a vulnerability factor in the pathogenesis of panic (N. Schmidt et al, see record 1997-05214-001). A large nonclinical sample of young adults (N?=?1,296) was prospectively followed over a 5-week, highly stressful period of time (i.e., military basic training). Consistent with the authors' initial study, AS predicted the development of spontaneous panic attacks after controlling for a history of panic attacks and trait anxiety, and AS was found to possess symptom specificity with respect to anxiety versus depression symptoms. AS 1st-order factors differentially predicted panic attacks, with the Mental Concerns factor being the best predictor of panic in this sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sleep deprivation in adolescents and adults: Changes in affect.

The present study investigated the impact of sleep deprivation on several aspects of affective functioning in healthy participants selected from three different developmental periods: early adolescence (ages 10–13), midadolescence (ages 13–16), and adulthood (ages 30–60). Participants completed an affective functioning battery under conditions of sleep deprivation (a maximum of 6.5 hours total sleep time on the first night followed by a maximum of 2 hours total sleep time on the second night) and rest (approximately 7–8 hours total sleep time each night for two consecutive nights). Less positive affect was observed in the sleep-deprived, compared to rested, condition. This effect held for 9 of the 12 positive affect items on the PANAS-C. Participants also reported a greater increase in anxiety during a catastrophizing task and rated the likelihood of potential catastrophes as higher when sleep deprived, relative to when rested. Early adolescents appraised their main worry as more threatening when sleep deprived, relative to when rested. These results support and extend previous research underscoring the adverse affective consequences of sleep deprivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Movie smoking exposure and smoking onset: A longitudinal study of mediation processes in a representative sample of U.S. adolescents.

The authors tested 2 mechanisms for the relation of movie smoking exposure with onset of cigarette smoking in adolescence. Longitudinal data with 8-month follow-up were obtained from a representative sample of 6,522 U.S. adolescents, ages 10-14 years. Structural modeling analysis based on initial nonsmokers, which controlled for 10 covariates associated with movie exposure, showed that viewing more smoking in movies was related to increases in positive expectancies about smoking and increases in affiliation with smoking peers, and these variables were both related to smoking onset. A direct effect of movie exposure on smoking onset was also noted. Mediation findings were replicated across cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Tests for gender differences indicated that girls showed larger effects of movie exposure for some variables. Implications for policy and prevention research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A psychometric analysis of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children–Parent Version in a school sample.

The current study was the 1st to examine the psychometric properties of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children–Parent Version (PANAS-C-P) using a large school-based sample of children and adolescents ages 8 to 18 (N = 606). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a 2-factor (correlated) model of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). The PANAS-C-P scale scores also demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and convergent and divergent validity. The PANAS-C-P PA and NA scale scores also related to measures of anxiety and depression in a manner consistent with the tripartite model. Scale means and standard deviations were reported by grade and sex to provide normative data for the PANAS-C-P scales. Results from the present study provide initial support for the PANAS-C-P as a parent-reported perspective of youth PA and NA among school-based youths. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Panic-relevant predictability preferences: A laboratory test.

In the present investigation the authors evaluated the role of verbally instructed safety periods as they relate to predictability preference within a single-session challenge paradigm involving recurrent administrations of 20% carbon dioxide (CO?) enriched air. Participants included 160 nonclinical young adults (91 women, 69 men) between the ages of 18 and 59 (M=21.6 years; SD=7.23). Results indicated that equivalent levels of anxiety were experienced during predictable and unpredictable administrations of 20% CO?, yet participants preferred predictable compared with unpredictable trials, with women showing a stronger predictability preference than men. Lower anxiety was reported during known safety periods (predictable room air trials) but not during predictable compared with unpredictable administrations of 20% CO?. Findings are discussed in relation to theoretical and applied implications for the role of predictability in the nature of anxiety and its disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Speaking to the trained ear: Musical expertise enhances the recognition of emotions in speech prosody.

Language and music are closely related in our minds. Does musical expertise enhance the recognition of emotions in speech prosody? Forty highly trained musicians were compared with 40 musically untrained adults (controls) in the recognition of emotional prosody. For purposes of generalization, the participants were from two age groups, young (18–30 years) and middle adulthood (40–60 years). They were presented with short sentences expressing six emotions—anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise—and neutrality, by prosody alone. In each trial, they performed a forced-choice identification of the expressed emotion (reaction times, RTs, were collected) and an intensity judgment. General intelligence, cognitive control, and personality traits were also assessed. A robust effect of expertise was found: musicians were more accurate than controls, similarly across emotions and age groups. This effect cannot be attributed to socioeducational background, general cognitive or personality characteristics, because these did not differ between musicians and controls; perceived intensity and RTs were also similar in both groups. Furthermore, basic acoustic properties of the stimuli like fundamental frequency and duration were predictive of the participants' responses, and musicians and controls were similarly efficient in using them. Musical expertise was thus associated with cross-domain benefits to emotional prosody. These results indicate that emotional processing in music and in language engages shared resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reciprocal relationships between parent and adolescent internalizing symptoms.

Previous investigations of the association between parent and adolescent internalizing problems have been largely restricted to the unidirectional effect of parent symptoms on their children. This study therefore aimed to investigate potential reciprocal relationships between parent and adolescent internalizing symptoms. One-hundred and seventy-seven adolescents ages 14 to 18 years and their parents (172 mothers, 124 fathers) completed measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms at two time points, 6 months apart. Results supported reciprocity between maternal and adolescent internalizing symptoms but not between paternal and adolescent internalizing symptoms. In addition, the relationship between maternal symptoms and later adolescent symptoms was found to be partially mediated by maternal parenting self-esteem. The study highlights the potential impact of adolescent internalizing problems on maternal well-being, a phenomenon previously neglected in the literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparing the body esteem of pediatric survivors of burn injury with the body esteem of an age-matched comparison group without burns.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of scarring on the body esteem of pediatric survivors of burn injuries. Method: Pediatric burn survivors, ages 8 to 18 years (n=195), completed the Body-Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BES; B. K. Mendelson, M. J. Mendelson, & D. R. White, 2001), the Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire, and the Social Comfort Questionnaire. A parent completed a demographic and burn characteristic questionnaire. Burn survivors between the ages of 12 and 18 years (n=148) were compared with members of an age-matched comparison group without burns taken from published data on the BES validation sample (n=981). Correlates of body esteem were examined among the survivors of burn injury. Results: Male burn survivors did not differ from boys in the comparison group on the BES. Surprisingly, female burn survivors, on average, reported better body esteem than did girls in the comparison group. Among the survivors of burn injury, body esteem was unrelated to demographic variables (e.g., gender, age), had a small but significant relationship with various measures of scar severity, and was moderately related to both perceived stigmatization and social comfort. Discussion: The clinical and theoretical implications of the study are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Young adult identities and their pathways: A developmental and life course model.

Developmental and life course studies of young adult identities have focused on 2 dimensions: subjective age and psychosocial maturity. This study examines the developmental synchrony of these 2 processes. In a longitudinal sample of young adults from Add Health (ages 18–22), a person-centered analysis of indicators of these dimensions identified 4 identity profiles. Two depict early and late patterns of identity; the others represent contrasting types of discordance: pseudo-adult, with subjective age more advanced than maturation level, and anticipatory, with subjective age less advanced than maturational level. The profiles vary by gender, socioeconomic status, and race–ethnicity, as well as by adolescent (ages 12–16) pubertal maturation, psychosocial adjustment, and family context. These results provide support for a more holistic, interdisciplinary understanding of adult identity and show that young adult identities in the Add Health sample follow differentiated paths into the adult years, with largely unknown consequences for the subsequent life course. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Association of Parental Depression With Psychiatric Course From Adolescence to Young Adulthood Among Formerly Depressed Individuals.

The authors examined whether parental major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with course of depression and other psychopathology among formerly depressed adolescents as they enter adulthood. The sample consisted of 244 individuals (age 24) in a longitudinal study who had experienced MDD by 19. Maternal MDD was associated with MDD recurrence, chronicity and severity, anxiety disorders, and (among sons only) lower psychosocial functioning in offspring between the ages of 19 and 24. Paternal MDD was associated with lower functioning. Sons of depressed fathers had elevated suicidal ideation and attempt rates in young adulthood. Recurrent paternal MDD was associated with depression recurrence in daughters but not sons. The impact of parental MDD on offspring could not be attributed to characteristics of the offspring's depression prior to age 19. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)