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Introduction: Previous research indicates a relation between craving and increased connectivity in the resting-state salience network. However, the link between cue-induced craving and connectivity in the salience network remains unclear. Further investigation is needed to understand the effect of sex on the relationship between cue-induced craving and the salience network. We investigated the role of sex in the association between the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) salience network and subjective cue-induced craving. Methods: Twenty-six males (mean age = 25.3) and 23 females (mean age = 26.0), with a score of 12 or higher on the alcohol use disorder identification test, were included in the current study. No significant difference in age was observed between males and females. Participants underwent a resting-state MRI scan for 6 min. Following the MRI scan, participants completed an alcohol cue-exposure task for 5.5 min to assess cue-induced craving using the desire to drink alcohol questionnaire. We applied independent component analysis methods to determine functional connectivity within the salience network. Subsequently, we investigated how cue-induced craving is related to the salience network's RSFC and if this relationship is moderated by sex. Results: The association between the salience network and cue-induced craving was not statistically significant nor did we find a moderating effect for sex. Conclusion: The null findings in the study may be explained by a lack of power. Alternatively, alcohol use sex disparities may be more prevalent in the recreational/impulsive stage, whereas participants in our study were in the later stage of addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Parenthood can be experienced as a pleasant but challenging period for parents, possibly accompanied by parenting stress. Early parenthood in particular is a vulnerable period as many parents experience biological and psychosocial changes related to new parenthood. Previous studies have shown that parenting stress is related to child behavior problems, but few studies have investigated the transactional relations across time between parenting stress and child internalizing and externalizing outcomes separately, examining within-person changes. The first aim of this study was to examine the transactional within-person associations of parenting stress and child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems across childhood from age 9 months to 9 years. As a second aim, we examined parenting as a possible underlying mechanism of the transactional associations by testing whether parental warmth and hostility mediate within-person associations of parenting stress and child behavior across time. Method: Data were analyzed from the Growing Up in Ireland longitudinal child cohort study including 7,208 caregiver-child dyads at wave 1 (child’s age 9 months), who were followed at child’s age three (wave 2), five (wave 3), and 9 years (wave 5). Primary caregiver’s and child’s age and gender, household income, occupational status, educational status, partner status, and cultural background were covariates assessed at all waves. Data were analyzed using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) in R-lavaan. Results: Bidirectional relations between parenting stress and child behavior were found for both internalizing and externalizing behavior from age 5 to 9, but not for earlier time points. Discussion: Our results did not indicate mediating effects of parental warmth or parental hostility in the associations between parenting stress and child behavior problems. Therefore, we conclude that parenting stress and child internalizing as well as parenting stress and child externalizing behaviors have transactional associations from child’s age 5 to 9 years. Future research examining transactional associations of parenting stress and child behaviors should investigate possible other mediations taking a within-person approach by utilizing the RI-CLPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: Individuals with chronic medical conditions are considered highly exposed to COVID-19 pandemic stress, but emerging evidence is demonstrating that resilience is common even among them. We aimed at identifying sustained resilient outcomes and their predictors in chronically ill people during the first year of the pandemic. Methods: This international 4-wave 1-year longitudinal online survey included items on socio-demographic characteristics, economic and living situation, lifestyle and habits, pandemic-related issues, and history of mental disorders. Adherence to and approval of imposed restrictions, trust in governments and in scientific community during the pandemic were also investigated. The following tools were administered: the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, the PTSD Checklist DSM-5, the Oslo Social Support Scale, the Padua Inventory, and the Portrait Values Questionnaire. Results: One thousand fifty-two individuals reporting a chronic condition out of 8011 total participants from 13 countries were included in the study, and 965 had data available for the final model. The estimated probability of being "sustained-resilient" was 34%. Older male individuals, participants employed before and during the pandemic or with perceived social support were more likely to belong to the sustained-resilience group. Loneliness, a previous mental disorder, high hedonism, fear of COVID-19 contamination, concern for the health of loved ones, and non-approving pandemic restrictions were predictors of not-resilient outcomes in our sample. Conclusions: We found similarities and differences from established predictors of resilience and identified some new ones specific to pandemics. Further investigation is warranted and could inform the design of resilience-building interventions in people with chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may affect individuals exposed to adversity. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapy for PTSD. There is still some debate whether the eye movements (EMs) are an effective component of EMDR. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD) treatment in reducing PTSD symptoms compared to a retrieval-only active control condition. We also investigated whether PTSD symptom reduction was associated with reductions in depression and anxiety, and improvements in quality of life. Methodology: Adult PTSD patients (n = 91) were recruited at public psychological services in Jakarta, Bandung and Cimahi, Indonesia. PTSD was diagnosed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 disorders (SCID-5). Participants were randomized into: EMD (n = 47) or retrieval-only (n = 44). EMD consisted of clinical history and treatment planning, preparation, assessment, EMs, closure, whereas retrieval-only consisted of the same elements except EMs. Data were collected at baseline (T0), 1-week post-treatment (T1), 1-month follow-up (T2), and 3-months follow-up (T3). Outcome measures included the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life–BREF (WHOQoL–BREF). Data were analyzed with linear mixed model analysis in R Statistics. Results: Although there were main effects of time indicating reductions for both EMD and retrieval-only in PCL-5 and HSCL-25 scores, and improvements in WHOQoL-BREF scores at T1, T2, and T3, no significant differences in PCL-5, HSCL-25, and WHOQoL-BREF total scores between the EMD and retrieval-only groups at T1, T2, and T3 were found (all group x time interaction p 's > 0.005). Conclusion: Within a clinical sample of PTSD patients in Indonesia, both EMD and retrieval-only was associated with reductions in symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression, and improvements in quality of life, although EMs did not add to the efficacy of the treatments. Further research to examine the underlying mechanisms of EMDR's effective treatment elements in clinical samples is needed. Clinical Trial Registration: [www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [ISRCTN55239132]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Psychotraumatology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may develop after exposure to a traumatic event. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychological treatment for PTSD. It is yet unclear whether eye movements also reduce stress reactivity in PTSD patients. This study aims to test whether eye movements, as provided during Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD), are more effective in reducing stress reactivity in PTSD patients as compared to a retrieval-only control condition.Methods: The study includes participants who meet criteria of PTSD of the public psychological services in Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia. One hundred and ten participants are randomly assigned to either an (1) Eye Movement Desensitization group (n = 55) or (2) retrieval-only control group (n = 55). Participants are assessed at baseline (T0), post-treatment (T1), 1 month (T2), and at 3 months follow-up (T3). Participants are exposed to a script-driven imagery procedure at T0 and T1. The primary outcome is heart rate variability (HRV) stress reactivity during script-driven imagery. Secondary outcomes include heart rate (HR), pre-ejection period (PEP), saliva cortisol levels, PTSD symptoms, neurocognitive functioning, symptoms of anxiety and depression, perceived stress level, and quality of life.Discussion: If the EMD intervention is effective in reducing stress reactivity outcomes, this would give us more insight into the underlying mechanisms of EMDR's effectiveness in PTSD symptom reduction.Trial Registration: ISRCTN registry ISRCTN55239132 . Registered on 19 December 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Person and environment-related childhood adverse events have been demonstrated to increase the risk of impaired mental health in later life differently for boys and girls. Altered hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA)-axis functioning has been suggested as a key mechanism underlying this association. Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) are both output hormones of the HPA-axis. DHEA may have a protective function against long-term exposure to increased levels of cortisol, but has been little investigated in relation to childhood adversity. Objective: We aimed to test the associations between person-, and environment-related childhood adversity and levels of cortisol, DHEA and cortisol/DHEA ratio in adolescent boys and girls. Methods: A total of 215 Dutch adolescents participated in the study and filled out the 27-item Adverse Life Events Questionnaire for the assessment of childhood adversity, which was split up in separate scores for person-related and environment-related events. Cortisol and DHEA concentrations and cortisol/DHEA ratio were determined in proximal 3 cm long hair segments. Additionally, saliva samples were collected immediately and 30 minutes after waking up, at noon and at 8 pm. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to test associations between childhood adversity and cortisol and DHEA concentrations, for boys and girls separately, with age, BMI and pubertal development as covariates. Results: Data were available for 74 boys and 116 girls with a mean age of 15.7 years (SD = 2.0). Higher levels of person-related childhood adversity were associated with higher hair DHEA levels in girls and with higher hair cortisol levels in boys. A trend towards a significant association was observed between higher levels of environment-related childhood adversity and higher DHEA levels in boys. Neither person- nor environment related childhood adversity was associated with cortisol/DHEA ratio. A trend was observed for environment-related childhood adversity and lower daily cortisol output in boys. Conclusion: We found differential associations between childhood adversity and cortisol and DHEA levels in girls and boys, for respectively person-related and environment-related childhood adversity. Our findings suggest that different types of childhood adversity are not only linked to levels of cortisol, but also to DHEA concentrations, in a sex-specific manner, with possible future implications for mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing up in an urban area has been associated with an increased chance of mental health problems in adults, but less is known about this association in adolescents. We examined whether current urbanicity was associated with mental health problems directly and indirectly via biological stress system functioning. Participants (n = 323) were adolescents from the Dutch general population. Measures included home and laboratory assessments of autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning, neighborhood-level urbanicity and socioeconomic status, and mother- and adolescent self-reported mental health problems. Structural equation models showed that urbanicity was not associated with mental health problems directly. Urbanicity was associated with acute autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity such that adolescents who lived in more urban areas showed blunted biological stress reactivity. Furthermore, there was some evidence for an indirect effect of urbanicity on mother-reported behavioral problems via acute autonomic nervous system reactivity. Urbanicity was not associated with overall autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity or basal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning. Although we observed some evidence for associations between urbanicity, biological stress reactivity and mental health problems, most of the tested associations were not statistically significant. Measures of long-term biological stress system functioning may be more relevant to the study of broader environmental factors such as urbanicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Psychotraumatology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Dysregulated physiological stress reactivity has been suggested to impact the development of children and adolescents with important health consequences throughout the life span. Both environmental adversity and genetic predispositions can lead to physiological imbalances in stress systems, which in turn lead to developmental differences. We investigated genetic and environmental contributions to autonomic nervous system reactivity to a psychosocial stressor. Furthermore, we tested whether these effects were consistent with the differential susceptibility framework. Composite measures of adverse life events combined with socioeconomic status were constructed. Effects of these adversity scores in interaction with a polygenic score summarizing six genetic variants, which were hypothesized to work as susceptibility factors, were tested on autonomic nervous system measures as indexed by heart rate and heart rate variability. Results showed that carriers of more genetic variants and exposed to high adversity manifested enhanced heart rate variability reactivity to a psychosocial stressor compared to carriers of fewer genetic variants. Conversely, the stress procedure elicited a more moderate response in these individuals compared to carriers of fewer variants when adversity was low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Socioeconomically disadvantaged children often have psychosocial problems. This study examined the mediating role of maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy, infancy and early childhood in the association between maternal education, as indicator of socioeconomic status (SES), and child's psychosocial problems. Methods Included were 3410 children from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) study. To assess the child's psychosocial problems at age 5–6 years, mothers and teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Depressive Anxiety and Stress Scale 21. Mediation analysis was performed to calculate the direct effect of maternal education on SDQ score and indirect effects through maternal depressive symptoms. Results The mean mother-reported SDQ total score was significantly higher (P < 0.001) for children of low-educated mothers (6.74 ± 4.41) compared with children of highly educated mothers (4.47 ± 3.73). Levels of maternal depressive symptoms were also higher in low-educated mothers during pregnancy, infancy and early childhood. Maternal depressive symptoms explained 27.5% of the association between maternal education and mother-reported SDQ scores and 22.9% for combined mother/teacher SDQ scores. Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy had the strongest indirect effect. Conclusion Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy mediate the association between low maternal education and child's psychosocial problems. Early recognition and treatment of maternal depressive symptoms is important to prevent psychosocial problems in children, especially in those with low education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is substantial evidence for the assumption that particularly heavy cannabis usett is associated with a variety of psychopathologic conditions. Little is known about the relationship between cannabis and anxiety. Prior studies have concluded that cannabis use alone is not sufficient for the development of long-term anxiety, and it has been suggested that cannabis is simply a risk factor that operates in conjunction with other risk factors. One such risk factor may be an individuals' genetic vulnerability. The present study examines the relationship between cannabis use and symptoms of anxiety by taking a developmental molecular-genetic perspective with a focus on a polymorphism involved in the regulation of serotonin. Specifically, we concentrated on changes in cannabis use and symptoms of anxiety over time and differences herein for individuals with and without the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR genotype. Data were from 1424 adolescents over a period of 5 years. We used different statistical analyses to test co-development of cannabis use and symptoms of anxiety throughout adolescence and the possible role of the 5-HTTLPR genotype in this process. Results from different analyses showed that cannabis use is associated with an increase in symptoms of anxiety, but only in carriers of the short allele of the 5-HTTLPR genotype, not in non-carriers. The findings of the present study show first evidence that the links between cannabis use and symptoms of anxiety are conditional on the individuals' genetic make-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives.The present study examined whether the relation of parental solicitation, parental control, and child disclosure with adolescent alcohol and cannabis use is similar for native and non-Western immigrant Dutch adolescents. Design.Questionnaire data from two study-samples were used with a combined sample of 705 adolescents (mean age 16.2 years; 47.2% female; 25.2% non-Western immigrant background). Results.Native Dutch adolescents reported more weekly alcohol use than immigrant adolescents, while rates of cannabis use by native and immigrant adolescents were similar. Immigrant females reported lower levels of parental solicitation and child disclosure, but higher levels of parental control than native females. There were no differences in the sources of parental knowledge between native and immigrant males. Regression analyses showed no significant interaction effects of parental solicitation, parental control, or child disclosure with ethnic background for both alcohol and cannabis use (allpvalues > .05). Conclusion.Despite mean level differences in various factors, we did not find evidence of an interaction effect of the sources of parental knowledge with ethnic background on alcohol and cannabis use. This suggests that theories and prevention strategies focusing on these sources of parental knowledge in relation to substance use can be applicable to both native and immigrant Dutch adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To determine (1) the prospective associations of conduct problems during early adolescence with tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use in young adulthood and (2) to what extent these associations are due to overlapping genetic versus environmental influences. Design A prospective twin study using biometric twin modelling. Setting Finland. Participants A total of 1847 Finnish twins (943 males and 904 females) were interviewed in early adolescence, 73% of whom ( n = 1353, 640 males and 713 females) were retained in young adulthood. Measurements Symptom counts of conduct disorder (CD) criteria were obtained from a semi-structured clinical interview in early adolescence [age 14-15 years, mean = 14.2, standard deviation (SD) = 0.15]. Frequency of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use was obtained from a semi-structured clinical interview in young adulthood (age 19.9-26.6 years, mean = 22.4, SD = 0.7). Findings We found modest to moderate phenotypical correlations ( r = 0.16-0.35) between early adolescent CD symptoms and substance use in young adulthood. In males, the phenotypical correlations of CD symptoms with all three substance use variables are explained largely by overlapping genetic influences. In females, overlapping shared environmental influences predominantly explain the phenotypical correlation between CD symptoms and tobacco and cannabis use. Conclusions Conduct disorder symptoms in early adolescence appear to moderately predict substance use in early adulthood. In males, genetic influences seem to be most important in explaining the relationship between conduct disorder symptoms and substance use whereas in females, shared environmental influences seem to be most important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To examine whether early onset of tobacco or alcohol use, and continued use of tobacco or alcohol in early adolescence, are related to a higher likelihood of developing a cannabis use disorder during adolescence. Design and setting Data were used from four consecutive assessment waves of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey ( TRAILS), a general Dutch population study. TRAILS is an ongoing longitudinal study that will follow the same group of adolescents from the ages of 10 to 24 years. Participants The sample consisted of 1108 (58% female) adolescents (mean ages at the four assessment waves are 11.09, 13.56, 16.27 and 19.05 years, respectively) Measurements Cannabis use disorders were assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 ( CIDI). Adolescent tobacco and alcohol use were assessed using self-report questionnaires. Findings Early-onset tobacco use [odds ratio ( OR) = 1.82, confidence interval ( CI) = 1.05-3.14, P < 0.05], but not early-onset alcohol use ( OR = 1.33, CI = 0.84-2.12, P > 0.05), was associated with a higher likelihood of developing a cannabis use disorder. Similarly, adolescents who reported continued use of tobacco ( OR = 2.47, CI = 1.02-5.98, P < 0.05), but not continued use of alcohol ( OR = 1.71, CI = 0.87-3.38, P > 0.05), were more likely to develop a cannabis use disorder. Conclusions Early-onset and continued tobacco use appear to predict the development of a cannabis use disorder in adolescence, whereas early onset and continued alcohol use do not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dermatoglyphics, ridge constellations on the hands and feet, are permanently formed by the second trimester of pregnancy. Consequently, they are considered "fossilized" evidence of a specific prenatal period. A high frequency of dermatoglyphic anomalies, or a high rate of dermatoglyphic asymmetry (discordance), is an indication of developmental instability (prenatal disturbances) prior to 24-week gestation. Most dermatoglyphic studies in psychiatry focus on adult schizophrenia. Studies on dermatoglyphic deviances and autism are sparse, include severely disturbed and intellectually retarded patients with autism, and are carried outmainly in non-Western European populations. In this study, finger print patterns, atd-angles, and palmar flexion crease patterns (PFCs) are compared between Western European adolescent teenage males, of average intellect, with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD; n = 46) and typically developing adolescent teenage males (TD; n = 49). Boys with ASD had a higher rate of discordance in their finger print patterns than TD boys. Thus, the hypothesized prenatal disturbances that play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia and severe autism might not be specific to these severe psychiatric disorders but might also be involved in the etiology of varying degrees of ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the core features of individuals with a substance-use disorder ( SUD) is the reduced ability to successfully process errors and monitor performance, as reflected by diminished error-related negativities ( ERN). However, whether these error-related brain abnormalities are caused by chronic substance use or rather predates it remains unclear. The present study elucidated whether hypoactive performance monitoring represents an endophenotypic vulnerability marker for SUD by using a high-risk paradigm. We assessed the behavioral components of error-processing, as well as the amplitude of the ERN in the event-related brain potential ( ERP) during performance of the Eriksen Flanker Task among high-risk adolescents of parents with a SUD ( HR; n = 28) and normal-risk controls ( NR; n = 40). Results revealed that HR offspring were characterized by a higher prevalence of internalizing symptoms and more frequent cannabis use, the latter having a significant influence on the ERN. Interestingly, risk group uniquely predicted the negativity amplitude in response to error trials above and beyond confounding variables. Moreover, we found evidence of smaller ERN amplitudes in (cannabis use-naïve) HR offspring, reflecting impaired early processing of error information and suboptimal performance monitoring, whereas no robust group differences were found for overall behavioral performance. This effect was independent of an overall reduction in brain activity. Taken together, although we cannot rule out alternative explanations, the results of our study may provide evidence for the idea that diminished error-processing represents a promising endophenotype for SUD that may indicate a vulnerability to the disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risky decision making, a hallmark phenotype of substance use disorders (SUD), is thought to be associated with deficient feedback processing. Whether these aberrations are present prior to SUD onset or reflect merely a consequence of chronic substance use on the brain remains unclear. The present study investigated whether blunted feedback processing during risky decision making reflects a biological predisposition to SUD. We assessed event-related potentials elicited by positive and negative feedback during performance of a modified version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) among high-risk adolescents with a parental history of SUD (HR; n = 61) and normal-risk controls (NR; n = 91). HR males made significantly more risky and faster decisions during the BART than did NR controls. Moreover, HR adolescents showed significantly reduced P300 amplitudes in response to both positive and negative feedback as compared to NR controls. These differences were not secondary to prolonged substance use exposure. Results are discussed in terms of feedback-specific processes. Reduced P300 amplitudes in the BART may reflect poor processing of feedback at the level of overall salience, which may keep people from effectively predicting the probability of future gains and losses. Though conclusions are tentative, blunted feedback processing during risky decision making may represent a promising endophenotypic vulnerability marker for SUD. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study examined the role of parental rearing behavior in adolescents' risky decision-making and the brain's feedback processing mechanisms. Healthy adolescent participants ( n = 110) completed the EMBU-C, a self-report questionnaire on perceived parental rearing behaviors between 2006 and 2008 (T1). Subsequently, after an average of 3.5 years, we assessed (a) risky decision-making during performance of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task ( BART); (b) event-related brain potentials ( ERPs) elicited by positive (gain) and negative feedback (loss) during the BART; and (c) self-reported substance use behavior (T2). Age-corrected regression analyses showed that parental rejection at T1 accounted for a unique and significant proportion of the variance in risk-taking during the BART; the more adolescents perceived their parents as rejecting, the more risky decisions were made. Higher levels of perceived emotional warmth predicted increased P300 amplitudes in response to positive feedback at T2. Moreover, these larger P300 amplitudes (gain) significantly predicted risky decision-making during the BART. Parental rearing behaviors during childhood thus seem to be significant predictors of both behavioral and electrophysiological indices of risky decision-making in adolescence several years later. This is in keeping with the notion that environmental factors such as parental rearing are important in explaining adolescents' risk-taking propensities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Abnormal physiological stress reactivity is increasingly investigated as a vulnerability marker for various physical and psychological health problems. However, studies are inconsistent in taking into account potential covariates that may influence the developing stress system. We systematically tested determinants (individual, developmental, environmental and substance use-related) of physiological and perceived physiological stress reactivity. We also examined the relation between physiological and perceived physiological stress reactivity. Method: In a stratified sample of 363 children (7–12 years) and 344 adolescents (13–20 years) from the general population, we examined cortisol, heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia and perceived physiological stress reactivity to a psychosocial stress procedure. Results: Using multivariate linear regression models, we found that individual, developmental, environmental and substance use-related factors were related to each of the stress response indices. These determinant factors were different for each of the stress reactivity indices, and different in children versus adolescents. Perceived physiological stress reactivity predicted cortisol reactivity in adolescents only. All other relations between perceived physiological and physiological stress reactivity were not significant. Conclusions: As physiological stress variables are often examined as vulnerability markers for the development of health problems, we maintain that it is essential that future studies take into consideration factors that may account for found relations. Our study provides an overview and indication of which variables should be considered in the investigation of the relation between physiological stress indices and illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To examine the direction of the longitudinal association between vulnerability for psychosis and cannabis use throughout adolescence. Design Cross-lagged path analysis was used to identify the temporal order of vulnerability for psychosis and cannabis use, while controlling for gender, family psychopathology, alcohol use and tobacco use. Setting A large prospective population study of Dutch adolescents [the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey ( TRAILS) study]. Participants A total of 2120 adolescents with assessments at (mean) age 13.6, age 16.3 and age 19.1. Measurements Vulnerability for psychosis at the three assessment points was represented by latent factors derived from scores on three scales of the Youth Self- Report and the Adult Self- Report, i.e. thought problems, social problems and attention problems. Participants self-reported on cannabis use during the past year at all three waves. Findings Significant associations ( r = 0.12-0.23) were observed between psychosis vulnerability and cannabis use at all assessments. Also, cannabis use at age 16 predicted psychosis vulnerability at age 19 ( Z = 2.6, P < 0.05). Furthermore, psychosis vulnerability at ages 13 ( Z = 2.0, P < 0.05) and 16 ( Z = 3.0, P < 0.05) predicted cannabis use at, respectively, ages 16 and 19. Conclusions Cannabis use predicts psychosis vulnerability in adolescents and vice versa, which suggests that there is a bidirectional causal association between the two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background That alcohol consumption is strongly influenced by the drinking behavior of social company has been demonstrated in observational research. However, not everyone is equally vulnerable to other people's drinking, and it is important to unravel which factors underlie these individual differences. This study focuses on the role of psychosocial stress in attempting to explain individual differences in the propensity to imitate alcohol consumption. Methods With a 2 (confederate's drinking condition: alcohol vs. soda) × 2 (participant's stress condition: stress vs. no stress) experimental design, we tested whether the tendency to imitate other people's drinking was related to participants' induced stress levels. The young male adults ( N = 106) were randomly assigned to each of the conditions. In each session, directly after the stress or no-stress period, confederates and participants entered a bar laboratory where we observed their drinking behavior. Prior to entering the session, confederates were instructed to drink alcohol or soda. Results Participants in both stress and no-stress conditions consumed substantially more alcohol when confederates drank alcohol than when they drank soda. There was no difference in alcohol consumed between stress and no-stress conditions. No moderating effect of stress on the tendency to drink along with peers was found. Conclusions Generally, it appears that among young male adults, imitation of alcohol consumption is a robust phenomenon not dependent on individual stress levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both environmental risk and genetic variation is believed to play a role in substance use. A candidate environmental variable is parenting. Recent studies have found support for the idea that the dopamine system affects the susceptibility to environmental influences. In the present study we will examine the interplay between effects of parental monitoring and the presence of the DRD4 7-repeat allele in adolescent lifetime cannabis use and the developmental course of cannabis use. Methods: A total of 311 adolescents participated in a five-wave longitudinal design. First, we conducted logistic regression analyses to examine the prospective associations between parental monitoring, the DRD4 polymorphism, their interaction and lifetime cannabis use. Second, individual growth parameters were calculated for frequency of cannabis use. Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between parental monitoring, the DRD4 polymorphism, their interaction, and the frequency of cannabis use. Results:There were no significant main effects of parental monitoring or the DRD4 polymorphism. However, both analyses showed that over a period of four years, a) when experiencing low levels of parental monitoring, individuals with the 7-repeat allele were more likely to show lifetime cannabis use and a stronger increase in frequency of cannabis use than individuals without this allele; b) when experiencing high levels of parental monitoring, individuals with the 7-repeat allele were less likely to show lifetime cannabis use and they showed a smaller increase in frequency of cannabis use than individuals without the 7-repeat allele. Conclusions:This study shows that carriers of the DRD4 7-repeat allele are disproportionally affected by the negative and positive effects of parental monitoring such that carriers of the DRD4 7-repeat allele, as compared to non-carriers, are more likely to use cannabis when levels of parental monitoring are low, and less likely to use cannabis when parental monitoring levels are high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Numerous studies have been conducted in which the most common forms of maternal substance use during pregnancy (smoking, drinking or using cannabis) and maternal stress during pregnancy and her offspring's developmental or behavioural outcome have been the focus of interest. These studies seem to suggest that any perturbation caused by maternal substance use or maternal stress during fetal development may have (enduring) effects on offspring behaviour. However, recent developments in research methodology used to examine these associations question whether these prenatal influences actually cause altered offspring outcomes. Aims: This review provides a short overview of previous studies in this field of research, some methodological issues particularly involved in studies that focus on the association between maternal substance use or stress during pregnancy and offspring's outcomes. Furthermore, it introduces several new approaches that have been applied recently to test these associations. Results: Studies that applied these designs to disentangle prenatal influences from associated or inherited factors consistently show an effect of prenatal substance use exposure on birth weight, but yield little evidence for causal effects on behaviour. In contrast, prenatal stress may have a causal effect on some aspects of behaviour, although only one study thus far has been able to differentiate heritable factors from environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Aims Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity may prove a viable biomarker for identifying those susceptible to alcohol use disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation of the age at which adolescents begin drinking with diurnal and stress cortisol. Design Adolescents' diurnal cortisol levels on a normal day and cortisol levels during a stress procedure were examined in relation to the age of onset of alcohol use. Setting and participants All adolescents (aged 14-20 years) were part of a general population study in the Netherlands ( n = 2286). Measurements Ten assessments of salivary cortisol taken on a normal day (diurnal cortisol), as well as during a social stress procedure (stress cortisol) were used as indicators of HPA axis activity. Findings The age at which the first alcoholic drink was consumed varied as a function of cortisol levels at the onset of as well as during the stress procedure. Those who began drinking at an earlier age showed lower cortisol levels at the onset of the stressful tasks ( r2 = 0.14, P < 0.001) and during the stressful tasks ( r2 = 0.10, P < 0.05), although not after the tasks (cortisol recovery). Effects were strongest for anticipatory pre-task cortisol levels. Differences in diurnal cortisol levels did not explain variance in the age at which adolescents had begun drinking. Conclusions Lessened activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis at the onset of and during a stress procedure is present in adolescents who begin drinking at an early age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Kind en Adolescent is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Adolescence is a critical developmental period regarding exposure to substances. Therefore, it is important to be able to identify those adolescents who are most vulnerable to substance abuse in the (near) future. The JOiN study was specifically designed to examine two endophenotypes of adolescent substance use in a normal risk (NR) and high risk (HR) sample of adolescents: (1) behavioural disinhibition, and (2) individual differences in stress sensitivity. Methods: The NR adolescents were part of a longitudinal general population study at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands of children and adolescents initially aged 6 to 18 years old. Three assessment waves have been nearly completed, and data are available of N = 711 participants for stress sensitivity measures, and of a subsample of N = 110 for electroencephalography (EEG) measures. Added to this study, HR adolescents who had at least one parent with a substance use disorder and who were treated by an outpatient clinic of a primary addiction care provider were approached via their parent(s). In total, N = 83 adolescents formed this HR sample. NR and HR adolescents participated in standardized stress procedure and EEG procedures in our laboratory. Questionnaires were filled out on background variables, behavioural and emotional problems, and substance use, and a diagnostic interview was conducted with adolescents and parents to assess psychopathology symptoms. DNA was collected through saliva or blood samples. Discussion: The design of the JOiN study is optimal for examining the predictive role of endophenotypes of adolescent substance use. The combination of different methods, i.e. stress physiology, electrophysiology, genetics, and questionnaire data from several informants on a range of behaviours and environmental factors enables the investigation of the multifactorial nature of adolescent substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To study the prospective relationship between maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSP) and behavioral problems, heavy alcohol use, daily smoking, and ever use of cannabis in the offspring, and to assess the role of confounding and mediating factors in a systematic way. Methods: Population-based cohort study of 2,230 respondents, starting in 2001 when respondents were around the age of 11 years, and two follow-up measurements at intervals of about 2.5 years (response rates of 96.0 and 81.4%). Results: Almost one third of the respondents' mothers had smoked tobacco during pregnancy. These respondents were at an increased risk for all outcomes except internalizing problems (significant odds ratios ranged from 1.40 to 2.97). The successive models showed that the potential confounding factors reduced the strength of all relationships. In the full model, the strongest relationship was found for mothers who smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day during pregnancy and daily smoking in early adolescence (odds ratio: 1.56), but none of the relationships were statistically significant. Conclusions: MSP is a marker for future behavioral outcomes in the offspring, but reducing the prevalence of MSP is unlikely to make a meaningful contribution to the prevention of these problems in adolescents. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first aim of this study was to identify developmental trajectories of Attention Problems in twins followed from age 6 to 12 years. Second, we investigated whether singletons follow similar trajectories. Maternal longitudinal ratings on the Attention Problems (AP) subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist were obtained for a sample of 12,486 twins from the Netherlands Twin Register and for a general population sample of 1,346 singletons. Trajectories were analyzed by growth mixture modeling in twins, and compared with singletons. Teacher ratings on the AP subscale of the Teachers' Report Form were available for 7,179 twins and 1,211 singletons, and were used for cross-sectional mean comparisons at each age. All analyses were conducted for boys and girls separately. We identified three linear trajectories in both boys and girls, i.e., stable low (62-71%), low-increasing (15-18%), and high-decreasing (14-21%). Singletons followed three identical trajectories, with similar class proportions. Teacher ratings yielded no differences in mean levels of Attention Problems between twins and singletons. The development of Attention Problems from age 6 to 12 years can be characterized by stable low, low-increasing, and high-decreasing developmental trajectories. Twins and singletons are comparable with respect to the development of Attention Problems in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BSTRACT [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined whether externalizing problem behaviors (hyperactivity-impulsivity, aggressiveness, and inattention) predict illicit drug use independently, or whether their associations with drug use are mediated through cigarette smoking. We used a prospective longitudinal design within the FinnTwin12-17 study among Finnish adolescents with baseline at age 12 and follow-up surveys at ages 14 and 17. Path models were conducted with Mplus and included 1992 boys and 2123 girls. The outcome was self-reported ever use of cannabis or other illicit drugs at age 17. The predictors were: externalizing behaviors (hyperactivity-impulsivity, aggressiveness, and inattention) assessed by teachers and parents (age 12) and self-reported cigarette smoking (age 14). The findings differed across behavior studied. The association of hyperactivity-impulsivity with drug use was mostly mediated through earlier cigarette smoking. Concerning aggressiveness and inattention, the results were different among girls than boys. Among girls no significant mediation occurred, whereas among boys more consistent evidence on mediation was seen. Consistently in all models, the direct association of early cigarette smoking on drug use was strong and highly significant. We conclude that the associations of externalizing problem behaviors with illicit drug use are partially mediated through cigarette smoking. Although interventions targeting externalizing problem behaviors may protect adolescents from early onset smoking and subsequently experimenting with drugs, interventions to prevent cigarette smoking initiation are also important in reducing risk of later drug use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For prevention of anxiety in children and adolescents, it is important to know whether family stress is a predictor of anxiety. We studied this in 1,875 adolescents from the Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) who were followed up for 2 years, from age 10–12 to 12–14 years. Adolescents reported anxiety and depression symptoms at both assessments, and parents reported family stress (family dysfunction and parenting stress) at the first assessment. Family dysfunction was not associated with future anxiety, whereas high parenting stress was. Furthermore, family dysfunction was more strongly associated with anxiety than with depression, whereas parenting stress was more strongly associated with depression. Level of parental psychopathology explained part of the association of family stress with anxiety. The associations were modest and the understanding of the origins of adolescents’ anxiety will require identifying other factors than family stress that account for more of the variance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal internalizing problems affect reporting of child’s problem behavior. This study addresses the relative effects of maternal depressive symptoms versus anxiety symptoms and the association with differential reporting of mother and child on child’s internalizing problems. The study sample comprised a cohort of 1,986 10- to 12-year-old children and their mothers from the Dutch general population in a cross sectional setup. Children’s internalizing problems were assessed with the DSM-IV anxiety and affective problem scales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR). Current maternal internalizing problems were assessed with the depressive and anxiety symptom scales of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS), while the TRAILS Family History Interview (FHI) measured lifetime maternal depression and anxiety. Results show that current and lifetime maternal depressive symptoms were associated with positive mother–child reporting discrepancies (i.e. mothers reporting more problems than their child). Considering the small amount of variance explained, we conclude that maternal depressive symptoms do not bias maternal reporting on child’s internalizing problems to a serious degree. Studies concerning long term consequences of mother–child reporting discrepancies on child’s internalizing problems are few, but show a risk for adverse outcome. More prognostic research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims The aim of the present study was to determine the mediating role of affiliation with cannabis-using peers in the pathways from various dimensions of temperament to life-time cannabis use, and to determine if these associations also contributed to the development of regular cannabis use. Methods Objectives were studied using data from 1300 participants of the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a large, general population study of Dutch adolescents. We used parent-reports on the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire to assess the dimensions of high-intensity pleasure, shyness, fearfulness, frustration and effortful control at age 10–12 years. By means of self-reports, life-time and regular cannabis use were determined at age 15–18 years, and proportion of substance-using peers was determined at ages 12–15 and 15–18 years. Models were adjusted for age, sex, intelligence and parental cannabis use. Results High-intensity pleasure [odds ratio (OR) = 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05–1.13] and effortful control (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.89–0.96) affected the risk for life-time cannabis use through their influence on affiliation with cannabis-using peers. Shyness affected this risk independently from peer cannabis use. Only the pathway from effortful control was associated additionally with the development of regular cannabis use (OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.89–0.98). Conclusions Peer cannabis use and, to a lesser extent, certain temperamental characteristics affect an adolescent's risk of cannabis use, and should be considered in prevention programmes. We recommend future research to focus upon factors that potentially modify the association between temperament, affiliation with cannabis-using peers and cannabis use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on twin-singleton differences in externalizing and internalizing problems in childhood is largely cross-sectional and yields contrasting results. The goal of this study was to compare developmental trajectories of externalizing and internalizing problems in 6- to 12-year-old twins and singletons. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) maternal reports of externalizing and internalizing problems were obtained for a sample of 9651 twins from the Netherlands Twin Register and for a representative general population sample of 1351 singletons. Latent growth modeling was applied to estimate growth curves for twins and singletons. Twin-singleton differences in the intercepts and slopes of the growth curves were examined. The developmental trajectories of externalizing problems showed a linear decrease over time, and were not significantly different for twins and singletons. Internalizing problems seem to develop similarly for twins and singletons up to age 9. After this age twins' internalizing symptoms start to decrease in comparison to those of singletons, resulting in less internalizing problems than singletons by the age of 12 years. Our findings confirm the generalizability of twin studies to singleton populations with regard to externalizing problems in middle and late childhood. The generalizability of studies on internalizing problems in early adolescence in twin samples should be addressed with care. Twinship may be a protective factor in the development of internalizing problems during early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Substance Use & Misuse is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aims We examined within a prospective longitudinal study whether cortisol levels were associated with smoking or drinking behaviours, taking parental substance use into account. Design The influence of parental substance use on cortisol levels of their adolescent offspring at age 10–12 years was examined. Next, cortisol levels of adolescents who initiated smoking or drinking at the first data collection (age 10–12) were compared to non-users. Finally, we examined whether cortisol levels could predict new onset and frequency of smoking and drinking 2 years later. Setting and participants First and second assessment data of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) were used, including 1768 Dutch adolescents aged 10–12 years, who were followed-up across a period of 2 years. Measurements Cortisol was measured in saliva samples at awakening, 30 minutes later, and at 8 p.m. at age 10–12. Self-reported substance use at age 10–12 and 13–14, and parental self-reported substance use were used. Findings Only maternal substance use was related to slightly lower adolescent cortisol levels at 8 p.m. Both maternal and paternal substance use were associated with adolescent smoking and drinking at age 13–14, although fathers' use only predicted the amount used and not the chance of ever use. Finally, higher cortisol levels were related moderately to current smoking and future frequency of smoking, but not to alcohol use. Conclusions In a general population, parental heavy substance use does not seem to affect cortisol levels consistently in their offspring. We found some evidence for higher, instead of lower, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity as a predictor of smoking in early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To examine the relationships between exposure to the air disaster in Amsterdam and multiple physical symptoms among firefighters and police officers, and to explore the role of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) herein. Design. Historic cohort study. Methods. On average 8.5 years post-disaster, exposed professional firefighters (N = 334) and police officers (N = 834) and their nonexposed colleagues (N = 194 and N = 634, respectively) completed questionnaires on disaster exposure and current symptoms. Logistic regression with adjustment for background characteristics was used to compare exposed and nonexposed workers. PTSS were added to these models, as was the interaction between exposure and PTSS, to explore potential mediating and modifying effects, respectively. Results. Exposed workers reported multiple physical symptoms significantly more often. Multiple physical symptoms seemed to have particularly affected the exposed firefighters who rescued people, and the exposed police officers who supported injured victims and workers, who were involved in the identification of or search for victims and human remains, who witnessed the immediate disaster scene or had a close one affected by the disaster. These exposure effects were essentially independent of PTSS, and no significant interactions between exposure and PTSS were found. Conclusions. In conclusion, the excess in post-disaster multiple physical symptoms in exposed workers could not be attributed to PTSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 1992 a cargo aircraft crashed into apartment buildings in Amsterdam. In the troublesome aftermath rumours emerged on potential toxic exposures and health consequences. The aim of this study is to assess the long-term impact of this disaster on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of professional assistance workers.Methods: Historic cohort study, using questionnaires to assess occupational disaster exposure, HRQoL (SF36), and background variables, at on average 8.5 years post-disaster. Participating were the exposed professional firefighters (n = 334) and police officers (n = 834) who reported disaster-related task(s), and their non-exposed colleagues who did not report such tasks (n = 194, and n = 634, respectively).Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that exposed workers reported a significantly lower physical HRQoL and vitality than non-exposed workers. Exposed police officers also reported a lower mental HRQoL. Among exposed workers, a lower HRQoL was reported significantly more often by workers who had a close one affected by the disaster; by firefighters who rescued people, cleaned-up, or witnessed the immediate disaster scene; and by police officers who supported the injured. Exposed police officers who perceived the disaster as 'not bad' reported a lower HRQoL less often than those to whom it was 'the worst ever'.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that professional disaster assistance workers are at risk for a lower HRQoL, even after years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain a better understanding of how genetic and environmental processes are involved in the stability and change in problem behavior from early adolescence into adulthood, studies with genetically informative samples are important. The present study used parent-reported data on internalizing and externalizing problem behavior of adoptees at mean ages 12.4, 15.5 and 26.3. In this adoption study adopted biologically related sibling pairs shared on average 50% of their genes and were brought up in the same family environment, whereas adopted biologically unrelated sibling pairs only shared their family environment. The resemblance between these adopted biologically related (N = 106) and unrelated sibling pairs (N=230) was compared and examined over time. We aimed to investigate (1) to what extent are internalizing and externalizing problem behavior stable from early adolescence into adulthood, and (2) whether the same or different genetic and environmental factors affect these problem behaviors at the 3 assessments. Our results show that both internalizing (rs ranging from .34 to .58) and externalizing behavior (rs ranging from .47 to .69) were rather stable over time. For internalizing and externalizing problem behavior it was found that both genetic and shared environmental influences could be modeled by an underlying common factor, which explained variance in problem behavior from early adolescence into adulthood and accounted for stability over time. The nonshared environmental influences were best modeled by a Cholesky decomposition for internalizing behavior, whereas a time-specific influence of the nonshared environment was included in the final model of externalizing behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims To identify early onset cannabis users by measuring basal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity, which may be a risk factor for early onset substance use when showing low activity. Design In a prospective cohort study, adolescents who initiated cannabis use at an early age (9–12 years), those who initiated at a later age (13–14 years) and those who did not use cannabis by the age of 14 were compared with respect to HPA axis activity. Setting and participants Data were used from the first and second assessment wave of the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), that included 1768 Dutch young adolescents aged 10–12 years who were followed-up across a period of 2 years. Measurements Cortisol was measured in saliva samples at awakening, 30 minutes later and at 8 p.m. at age 10–12. Self-reported age at first cannabis use was used. Findings The early onset group had lower cortisol levels 30 minutes after awakening than the late onset group (OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.86–0.99). Furthermore, compared to non-users, the early and late onset cannabis users had higher levels of cortisol at 8 p.m. (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.03–1.53 and OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.01–1.45, respectively). Conclusions Some evidence was found for HPA axis hypo-activity at awakening in adolescents with early onset of cannabis use compared to late onset users, which might indicate an increased risk for early onset users of seeking stimulation to restore arousal levels by using substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Some evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to maternal smoking contributes to the etiology of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The present study tested an intervention targeting disruptive behavior to establish whether exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy predicts intervention failure in elementary schoolchildren. Methods: Five hundred and eight elementary schoolchildren were followed from ages 7 to 11. At ages 8 and 9, they were randomly assigned to a control condition, or to a two-year universal classroom-based intervention targeting disruptive behavior. Measures included maternal reports of smoking during pregnancy, teacher-rated symptoms of ADHD from ages 7 to 9 years, and children's self-report of experimentation with smoking at ages 10 and 11 years. Results: At age 7, prenatally exposed children had higher ADHD symptom scores. The intervention did not affect the course of their ADHD symptoms and the probability of early-onset experimentation with smoking. Among non-exposed children, the intervention positively affected the course of ADHD symptoms, and reduced the probability of early-onset experimentation with smoking. Conclusions: Prenatally exposed children are most prone to follow a path of high levels of ADHD symptoms and associated elevated risk for early-onset experimentation with smoking, which is unreceptive to a universal preventive intervention. In these children, the developmental course of ADHD symptoms seems to have been influenced by their prenatal exposure to maternal smoking. Future research should further explore whether prenatal smoking is a proxy measure that indexes another risk factor, or a causal factor for adverse developmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 1992 a cargo aircraft crashed into a residential area of Amsterdam. A troublesome aftermath followed, with rumors on potential toxic exposures and health consequences. Health concerns remained even though no excess morbidity was predicted in retrospective risk evaluations. This study aimed to assess to what extent the rescue workers attribute long-term physical complaints to this disaster, including its aftermath, and to examine associations between such attribution and types of exposure and background variables. Methods: Historic cohort study that collected questionnaire data on occupational disaster exposure, attribution of physical complaints, and background variables on average 8.5 years post-disaster. For the present study the workers who were exposed to the disaster were selected from the historic cohort, i.e. the professional firefighters (n = 334), police officers (n = 834), and accident and wreckage investigators (n = 241) who performed disaster-related tasks. Results: Across the three occupational groups, a consistent percentage (ranging from 43% to 49%) of exposed workers with long-term physical complaints attributed these to the disaster, including its aftermath. Those with more physical complaints attributed these to a stronger degree. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that attribution was significantly more often reported by firefighters who rescued people, and by police officers who reported the identification and recovery of or search for victims and human remains, clean-up, or security and surveillance of the disaster area; who witnessed the immediate disaster scene; who had a close one affected by the disaster; and who perceived the disaster as the worst thing that ever happened to them. Age, sex and educational level were not significantly associated with attribution. Conclusion: This study provides further cross-sectional evidence for the role of causal attribution in post-disaster subjective physical health problems. After on average 8.5 years, almost a third (32%) of all the exposed workers, and almost half (45%) of the exposed workers with physical complaints, attributed these complaints to the disaster, including its aftermath. The similarity of the results across the occupational groups suggests a general rather than an occupation-specific attribution process. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether causal disaster attribution leads to persistence of post-disaster complaints and health care utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In the aftermath of a cargo aircraft crash in Amsterdam in 1992, indications of autoimmune disorders appeared in some of the affected population. Methods This epidemiologic study sought to determine the possible long-term autoimmune health effects of the aircraft disaster on professional assistance workers. Exposed professional firefighters (n = 334) and police officers (n = 834) who performed at least 1 disaster-related task and hangar workers who sorted and investigated the wreckage (n = 241) were compared with reference groups of nonexposed colleagues who did not perform any disaster-related tasks (n = 194, n = 634, and n = 104, respectively). Data were collected a mean of 8.5 years after the disaster. Questionnaires were used to assess disaster-related tasks and 11 autoimmune-like symptoms. All serum samples were tested for the presence of antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor, and antineutrophil cytoplasmic and anticardiolipin antibodies. Results Compared with nonexposed colleagues, exposed workers reported significantly more autoimmune-like symptoms. They reported the following symptoms significantly more often: tingling sensations, myalgia, loss of strength, easily fatigued, and a feeling of sand in the eyes (all groups); infection proneness (firefighters); skin abnormalities and nocturnal transpiration (police officers and hangar workers); and vasculitis-like symptoms and Raynaud discoloring (police officers). In contrast, we found no significant difference between exposed and nonexposed workers in autoantibody prevalence. Conclusion Occupational exposure to the aircraft disaster resulted in an excess of long-term self-reported autoimmune-like symptoms in exposed professional assistance workers, but there was no difference between exposed and nonexposed workers in the prevalence of autoantibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term health consequences of disasters have not been studied extensively, one reason amongst others is that no pre-disaster observation is available. This study focuses on an aeroplane crash on an Amsterdam suburb. The ongoing Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam has one pre-disaster and several post-disaster observations, making it possible to study changes in health, taking pre-disaster health characteristics into account. Methods: Three exposure groups are distinguished: those living within a radius of 1 km from the disaster (initial n = 39), those living between a radius of 1 and 2 km from the disaster (initial n = 56), and those living in the rest of the city of Amsterdam (initial n = 508). Health measures include general health, health in comparison with age peers, functional limitations, disability and cognitive functioning. These measures are based on self-ratings, interviewer observations, or both. Results: Older persons living closest to the disaster area are likely to experience health decline in the wake of a disaster, over and above the health decline that would occur normally with aging. The disaster-associated health decline is small, and most obvious in the ability to perform actions (such as mobility), but is not observed in either disability in daily functioning, nor in self-perceptions of health. Cognitive functioning even shows a short-term improvement. Conclusion: These findings suggest substantial resilience in older adults, despite their common health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the results of a study on the influence of prenatal stress on infant temperament and problem behavior. Procedures for measuring different psychosocial stress scores during and after pregnancy; Assessment of the child's behavior during the administration of the Bayley Scales of Development 2-30; Logistic regression analysis of the effects of prenatal stress.