Mothers’ and fathers’ attributions for adolescent behavior: An examination in families of depressed, subdiagnostic, and nondepressed youth.

This study examined whether parents of adolescents experiencing depressive symptoms or disorder make more negative and fewer positive attributions for their adolescents’ behavior than do parents of nondepressed adolescents, and whether parental attributions for adolescents’ behavior contribute to parenting behavior, above and beyond the adolescents’ behavior. Parents and adolescents (76 girls and 48 boys) participated in videotaped problem-solving interactions (PSIs). Each parent subsequently watched the videotape and offered attributions for their adolescent’s behavior. In addition, parent and adolescent behavior during the PSIs was coded. Mothers and fathers in families of nondepressed adolescents made significantly fewer negative attributions for their children’s behavior than did parents in families of adolescents with diagnostic or subdiagnostic levels of depressive symptoms. Moreover, mothers’ and fathers’ negative attributions were related to greater levels of observed aggressive behavior and lower levels of observed facilitative behavior during the PSIs controlling for both demographic characteristics and the relative level of adolescent aggressive and facilitative behavior during the PSI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Muscle strength and hormonal levels in adolescents: gender related differences

The purpose of the present investigation was to study muscle strength in adolescents and its relationship to serum levels of testosterone and growth hormone in both genders. Thirty active adolescents (15 boys; age range 11 -12 y/o) participated in the first study. Isokinetic muscle strength of the dominant knee extensors (KE) was determined at 0, 12, 20, 30, 120, 180 and 240 deg/sec using a Cybex 340 dynamometer. The assessment of pubertal status was accomplished using the criteria of Tanner. Serum levels of total testosterone (T) and growth hormone (GH) were determined using radioimmunoassay techniques. Boys had higher (p< 0.001) T levels but no differences in muscle strength were detected between genders. Fifty-seven additional subjects representing three age groups (11-12 y/o, n=18; 13-14, n=21; 17-18, n=18) participated in the second study. A significant increase in peak torque (absolute and corrected for body weight) with age was observed in both genders. There were no significant gender differences in strength for the two youngest age groups, but boys were stronger than girls in the oldest age group (group 3). Testosterone and GH levels increased with age in boys but not in girls. Gender related differences in T were found in groups 2 and 3. A positive correlation (r=0,64 boys; r=0.46 girls) between testosterone levels and absolute muscle strength was seen in both genders. Our results suggest that increases in anabolic hormones precede muscle strength gains in adolescent males. In addition, gender related differences in muscle strength during adolescents cannot be explained solely on the basis of difference in body size or T levels.     

Sex hormone effects on personality at puberty.

In this study we use serum steroid hormone assays and Adjective Check List responses from a representative sample of 102 male and 99 female adolescents to examine the relations between hormones, personality, and sexual behavior. We address two questions: (a) Does pubertal testosterone (T) cause sex dimorphism in personality? (b) Do pubertal hormones affect sexual behavior indirectly through effects on personality? Exploratory factor analysis of the Adjective Check List generated a factor common to male and female adolescents that correlated highly with T. However, male and female subjects did not differ in their mean level on this factor or in the correlation of this factor with T. In spite of the large sex difference in T, the girls were much more sensitive than the boys on the extracted factor to differences in T. We conclude that the answer to both questions is probably no. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The interpersonal structure of family interaction settings: Parent–adolescent relations in dyads and triads.

Observed parental interactive patterns in the presence (a triadic setting) and in the absence (a dyadic setting) of the spouse in 44 families with 16 female and 28 male early adolescents (approximately 13 yrs old). Findings indicate that in accordance with hypotheses, the presence of the father enhanced the quality of mother–son relations, whereas the presence of the mother reduced the quality of father–son relations. The presence of the spouse influenced the extent to which parents treated girls and boys differently: Mothers differentiated more between girls and boys in the presence of the spouse, whereas fathers differentiated more between girls and boys in the absence of the spouse. Relative to the dyad, parental role differentiation increased in the triad but only in families of boys. In demonstrating interdependencies among family relationships and the responsivity of parental behaviors to the interpersonal structure of interaction settings, the results support a systems model of family processes. Implications for the study of family relations and sex typing at early adolescence are discussed. (60 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Longitudinal Latent Variable Analysis of Reciprocal Relations Between Depressive Symptoms and Delinquency During Adolescence.

In this longitudinal study, reciprocal relations between depressive symptoms and delinquent behavior were examined for a sample of 1,218 male and female adolescents (mean age, 15.51 years at Time 1). Associations were examined within a latent variable approach, controlling for indicator-specific tendencies, students' age and parental education, time-specific 3rd-variable influences, level of prior problem behavior, and measurement error. Findings thus provided relatively unbiased estimates of existing plausible causal relations. Analyses revealed a relatively small unidirectional effect of delinquency on depression for boys (at 1 of 3 time points), and bidirectional effects of comparable size for girls. The circular process for the girls was explained drawing on gender socialization theory and theories of offending behavior. Implications for preventive interventions are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Atypical cutaneous histological features of visceral leishmaniasis in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

OBJECTIVE: A sex hormone imbalance has been reported in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the serum levels of eight sex hormones in patients with alcohol-related and non-alcohol-related cirrhosis and HCC. METHODS: Luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone and sex hormone binding globulin were assayed in 81 patients with cirrhosis (59 men, 22 women) and 97 with HCC and cirrhosis (82 men, 15 women). Hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infection was present in 58% of patients with cirrhosis and 69% of patients with HCC. Alcohol abuse was the aetiopathogenetic factor in the remaining patients. RESULTS: In men, mean testosterone levels were at the lower limit of the normal range for both patients with HCC and for controls with cirrhosis. Mean estradiol levels were increased both in patients with HCC and in those with cirrhosis, but patients with alcohol-related HCC had higher estradiol levels (P = 0.0002). An index of sex hormone imbalance, the estradiol to testosterone ratio (ETR), was calculated. The ETR was significantly higher in patients with alcohol-related HCC (P = 0.0002). Multiple regression analysis showed that the ETR correlated best with patients' diagnosis (P < 0.05). In women, the ETR was significantly lower in patients with HCC than in controls with cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: Men with alcohol-related HCC are characterized by an oestrogen and androgen imbalance and have a higher ETR than patients with other types of liver damage. Since sex hormones modulate hepatocellular proliferation, our data suggest that a sex hormone imbalance plays a role in hepatocarcinogenesis in patients with alcohol-related cirrhosis.     

Social behavior correlates of cortisol activity in child care: gender differences and time-of-day effects

The relations between social behavior and daily patterns of a stress-sensitive hormone production were examined in preschool children (N = 75) attending center-based child care. Three behavioral dimensions, shy/anxious/internalizing, angry/aggressive/externalizing, and social competence, were assessed by teacher report and classroom observation, and their relations with 2 measures of cortisol activity, median (or typical) levels and reactivity (quartile range score between second and third quartile values) were explored. Cortisol-behavior relations differed by gender: significant associations were found for boys but not for girls. Specifically, for boys externalizing behavior was positively associated with cortisol reactivity, while internalizing behavior was negatively associated with median cortisol. Time of day of cortisol measurement affected the results. Surprisingly, median cortisol levels rose from morning to afternoon, a pattern opposite to that of the typical circadian rhythm of cortisol. This rise in cortisol over the day was positively correlated with internalizing behavior for boys. The methodological and theoretical implications of these findings for the study of the development of hormone-behavior relations are discussed.     

Parenting practices as predictors of substance use, delinquency, and aggression among urban minority youth: Moderating effects of family structure and gender.

This study examined how parenting factors were associated with adolescent problem behaviors among urban minority youth and to what extent these relationships were moderated by family structure and gender. 228 6th grade students reported how often they use alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or engage in aggressive or delinquent behaviors; a parent or guardian reported their monitoring and other parenting practices. Findings indicated that boys and those from single-parent families engaged in the highest rates of problem behavior. More parental monitoring was associated with less delinquency overall, as well as less drinking in boys only. Eating family dinners together was associated with less aggression overall, as well as less delinquency in youth from single-parent families and in girls. Unsupervised time at home alone was associated with more smoking for girls only. Implications for prevention interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Serum sex hormones are altered in patients with chronic temporal lobe epilepsy receiving anticonvulsant medication

PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes in serum sex hormones of gonadal or adrenal origin, the gonadotropic hormones, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in men and women with chronic temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), who are undergoing monotherapy with carbamazepine or receiving carbamazepine in combination with other anticonvulsant drugs. METHODS: Gonadal hormones (estradiol, testosterone, free testosterone, and inhibin B), adrenal hormones [cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione, and 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone], and gonadotropic hormones (luteinizing hormone [LH] and follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH]) were measured in 22 women and 26 men with TLE. The study also measured prolactin; human growth hormone and its major mediator, insulin-like growth factor-I; thyroid hormones (free thyroxine and free triiodothyronine); thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH); and SHBG. The results were compared with those obtained from 60 healthy women and 106 healthy men. RESULTS: In the female patients, TSH, DHEAS, follicular-phase LH, and luteal-phase estradiol were significantly lower than in the control groups, with prolactin and SHBG significantly higher. In the male patients, DHEAS, 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, free testosterone, inhibin B, and the testosterone/LH ratio were significantly lower than in the control group, with LH, FSH, and SHBG significantly higher. Increased FSH in 31% of the men indicates an impairment of spermatogenesis; lowered inhibin B in 12% indicates an impaired Sertoli's cell function; and the decreased testosterone/LH ratio in 50% indicates an impaired Leydig's cell function. CONCLUSIONS: The case patients had endocrine disorders, mainly concerning the gonadotropic and gonadal functions in both sexes; the adrenal function, with lowered DHEAS levels in both sexes; and lowered 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone levels in the men. SHBG levels were increased in patients taking anticonvulsant medications.     

Right anterior cingulate: A neuroanatomical correlate of aggression and defiance in boys.

Variation in emotional processes may contribute to aggressive and defiant behavior. This study assessed these problem behaviors in a large sample of children and adolescents in relation to the volume of two cortical regions with prominent roles in emotion processing, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). One hundred seventeen participants (61 boys, 56 girls), ages 7-17, were recruited from the community. Aggressive and defiant behavior was measured using the parent- and teacher-reported Pediatric Behavior Scale and volumetric measures were generated using structural MRI. Regression analyses indicated a significant sex X ACC volume interaction in predicting aggressive and defiant behavior, without significant results for the vmPFC. Follow-up analyses showed that aggressive and defiant behavior is associated with decreased right ACC volume in boys and a nonsignificant reduction in left ACC volume in girls. These results are consistent with the notion that the right ACC acts as a neuroanatomical correlate of aggression and defiance in boys. The authors discuss this finding in light of its implications for understanding the neural correlates of antisocial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rejected Bullies or Popular Leaders? The Social Relations of Aggressive Subtypes of Rural African American Early Adolescents.

Teacher assessments of interpersonal characteristics were used to identify subtypes of rural African American early adolescents (161 boys and 258 girls). Teacher ratings of interpersonal characteristics were used to identify popular and unpopular aggressive subtypes for both boys and girls. Unpopular aggressive youths did not have elevated levels of rejected sociometric status but were more likely to have lower levels of peer-perceived social prominence and social skills. Conversely, popular aggressive youths were more likely to be disliked by peers even though they were perceived by peers as socially prominent and socially skilled and were identified by teachers as highly involved in extracurricular activities. Both popular and unpopular aggressive youths tended to associate with others who had similar levels of peer-perceived popularity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Protection of both auditory hair cells and auditory neurons from cisplatin induced damage

Knowledge about body composition is important in metabolic and nutritional studies. In this cross-sectional study the body composition of 403 healthy white Dutch children and adolescents was evaluated by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Possible determinants of body composition were analyzed. In 85 subjects the results of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were compared with DXA. Fat mass, lean tissue mass, and bone mineral content were greater in older boys and girls. Percentage body fat was greater in older girls but not in boys and it was higher in girls than in boys at all ages. From the age of 14 y boys had higher lean tissue mass and bone mineral content than girls. Tanner stage had a significant relation with body composition in both sexes. Percentage body fat was lower in boys in stage 4 than in stage 3 and was higher in consecutive Tanner stages in girls. After adjustment for age, Tanner stage was significantly positively related to lean tissue mass and bone mineral content in boys and girls and to percentage body fat and fat mass in girls. The profession of the parents and the education of the father had a significant negative correlation with percentage body fat and fat mass in girls (P < 0.01). Physical activity was related to lean tissue mass (P = 0.001) but not to fat mass in boys after adjustment for age. A high correlation and a small difference was found between lean body mass by BIA and lean tissue mass by DXA. Body composition in healthy Dutch children and adolescents is related to age, sex, Tanner stage, socioeconomic status, and physical activity.     

Comparing teacher and peer perceptions of aggression: An ecological approach.

Teacher and peer perceptions of aggression were investigated in a sample of 899 students. Teachers rated their students in Grades 3–8 on an 8-item scale assessing peer-directed aggression. Students completed a questionnaire within classrooms that measured acceptance, rejection, and peer-directed aggression. Both teachers and peers reported higher levels of aggression in boys than in girls. Teacher and peer perceptions of aggressive behavior were more congruent for boys than for girls, but this congruence differed significantly as a function of ethnicity. Significant differences among individual classrooms also existed in both teacher and peer ratings, as well as in the relationships between the 2 measures. Findings of gender, grade level, ethnic, and classroom differences are compared with previous research, and issues relevant to the identification of highly aggressive youth are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent girls' and boys' weight-related health behaviors and cognitions: Associations with reputation- and preference-based peer status.

In this study, the authors examined associations between preference- and reputation-based peer status and weight-related behaviors and cognitions for both adolescent boys and girls. Sociometric measures of peer likability and peer-perceived popularity, as well as self-reported measures of body size, dieting behavior, and weight-related cognitions were collected from a sample of 441 adolescents in Grades 11 and 12. Results revealed weight-related cognitions for girls (concerning obesity) and boys (concerning musculature/fitness). Peer-perceived popularity, but not likability, was significantly associated with both boys' and girls' body size and dieting. Lower levels of popularity were associated with heavier body shapes for girls and with both thin and heavier body shapes for boys. Findings suggest that peer status is an important source of social reinforcement associated with weight-related behaviors and cognitions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Leptin levels in children with central precocious puberty

Several studies have suggested that sufficient serum leptin levels may be involved in the initiation of puberty. To assess further the relationship between leptin and the onset of puberty in humans, we measured the serum leptin concentration in children with central precocious puberty (CPP). We studied 65 children with either idiopathic (IPP; n = 50 girls and 3 boys) or neurogenic central precocious puberty (NPP; n = 5 girls and 7 boys). The serum leptin levels in these patients were compared with normative data from healthy children and adolescents using SD scores that adjust for body mass index (BMI) and Tanner stage. The mean SD scores of IPP and NPP girls were +0.4 +/- 0.1 and +1.0 +/- 0.5, respectively, compared with that of age-matched prepubertal girls and +0.7 +/- 0.2 and +1.6 +/- 0.6 compared with that of girls matched for pubertal stage. The CPP girls with lower BMIs contributed larger SD scores, such that the leptin SD score was negatively correlated with BMI. A similar, modest increase in leptin levels in the CPP girls was evident when additional normative data were considered. The mean leptin SD scores of IPP and NPP boys were -0.9 +/- 0.5 and +0.7 +/- 0.3, respectively, compared with that of normal boys at Tanner stage 3-4. Serum leptin levels in the boys with CPP were not different from those in healthy boys in any of the normative studies. These data should be interpreted cautiously, but they suggest that girls with CPP have modestly elevated serum leptin concentrations compared with those in healthy children and adolescents. In addition, the negative correlation between the leptin SD score and BMI suggests that sufficient leptin levels may be associated with initiation of puberty in girls.     

Q-sort assessment of attachment security during the preschool years: Links from home to school.

This study investigated relations among preschoolers' secure-base behavior with mother at home, stressful family conditions, and qualities of developing relationships with peers and teachers in preschool. Preschool-age children (N?=?94; 51 boys and 43 girls) and their mothers were observed during multiple home visits, and their security of attachment was assessed with the Attachment Q-Set. Children in families with lower levels of stress had more secure attachment relationships with mothers. Both boys and girls who were less securely attached to their mothers expressed significantly more anger-aggression in preschool. For boys, higher levels of family stress were also significantly related to anger-aggression and to social competence in preschool. In addition. boys who were more securely attached to their mothers were more securely attached to their preschool teachers and were more popular with peers in preschool. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent–parent interactions in middle-class African American families: Longitudinal change and contextual variations.

Family interactions were examined longitudinally over 2 years in 79 middle-class African American families with early adolescents. Mothers and adolescents (as well as fathers and adolescents and triads in 2-parent families) were videotaped discussing a conflict for 10 min. A macro-coding system (J. G. Smetana, J. Yau, A. Restrepo, & J. L. Braeges, 1991) was modified to be culturally sensitive to African American families. Interaction ratings were reduced, through principal-components analyses, into composite variables. After control for family income, mothers' communication in triadic interactions became less positive over time. Both mothers' and fathers' communication was more positive in dyadic than triadic interactions. In triadic interactions, mothers validated sons more than daughters, and in dyadic interactions with either parent, boys were more receptive to parents than were girls. Findings extend previous research on adolescent–parent relationships to African American families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive distortions, aggressive behavior, and drug use in adolescent boys with and without a family history of a substance use disorder.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the relations between (a) cognitive distortions and aggressive behavior, (b) cognitive distortions and drug use, and (c) aggressive behavior and drug use are moderated by a family history of a substance use disorder (SUD) in adolescent boys. Participants were 165 boys aged 15–17 years with (FH+; n?=?75) and without (FH–; n?=?90) a family history of SUD. Results indicated that a family history of SUD moderated the relation between cognitive distortions and aggressive behavior and the relation between aggressive behavior and drug use. Family history of SUD did not moderate the relation between cognitive distortions and drug use; however, cognitive distortions were positively related to drug use within both groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in 2- and 3-years-olds: Mother-child relations, peer relations, and peer play.

This paper examines the different behavior patterns utilized by boys and girls as they form peer relationships and engage in peer play; the nature of their relations with their mothers is also reported. Girls manifested more intense involvement with their mothers, engaged in less peer play than boys, showed lower mood, lower levels of play, less direct aggression, and more controlling play with peers. Furthermore, their mothers handled their requests for contact and aggressive behavior differently than did mothers of boys. Boys were slower to become aware of separateness but once aware, they came to terms with it faster than girls. The boys took longer to pay attention to peers; once peers were focused on, the play moved more quickly to high levels than did the play of the girls. Qualitative findings were supported by quantitative findings-boys showed more contact and more involvement with their peers than did girls. The hypothesis is tentatively offered that the reaction to the awareness of psychological separateness from their mothers is more intense in girls than in boys partly because girls experience this awareness earlier, owing to their more rapid cognitive maturation. . . (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Household family structure and children's aggressive behavior: a longitudinal study of urban elementary school children

The relationship between contemporary household family structures at fourth-grade and sixth-grade parent- and teacher-rated aggression was examined in an epidemiologically defined population of urban school children. The relationship between family structure and aggression varied by child gender and by parent and teacher ratings in the home and school, respectively. After taking into account family income, urban area, and fourth-grade aggressive behavior, boys in both mother-father and mother-male partner families were significantly less likely than boys in mother-alone families to be rated as aggressive by teachers. No significant relations between family structure and teacher- or parent-rated aggression were found for girls.