Search

Background: Cognitive control problems have been implicated in the etiology and maintenance of mental health problems, including depression, in adults. Studies in adolescents have been more equivocal, with some showing changes in cognitive control in adolescents with mental health problems, whereas others fail to show an association. This study examines whether adolescent mental health is associated with affective control, the application of cognitive control in affective contexts, which shows more protracted development than cognitive control. Methods: The present study investigated the association of cognitive and affective control with depressive symptomatology and self‐reported diagnostic history of mental health problems in adolescents. The study included 1929 participants (Mage = 13.89) from the Future Proofing Study (N = 6,388, 11–16 years), who completed affective (incl., affective stimuli) and/or cognitive (incl., neutral stimuli) versions of a working memory (backward digit‐span) and/or shifting (card‐sorting) task at least once within 3 weeks of assessing mental health. Results: Poorer working memory was associated with greater depressive symptomatology in adolescents (β = −0.06, p =.004), similarly across cognitive and affective control conditions (β = −0.02, p =.269). Adolescents with self‐reported diagnostic history of mental health problems had significantly poorer shifting ability in affective compared to cognitive control conditions (b = 0.05, p =.010), whereas for adolescents with no self‐reported diagnoses, shifting ability did not differ between conditions (b = −0.00, p =.649). Conclusions: The present analyses suggest that working memory difficulties, in particular, may be associated with the experience of current depressed mood in adolescents. Problems with affective shifting may be implicated in a range of mental health problems in adolescents. Given the ubiquitous need for efficient cognitive functioning in daily life, enhancing cognitive and affective control in adolescents may be a promising means of improving functioning across a range of domains, including affective functioning, and by extension, adolescent mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The Future Proofing Study (FPS) was established to examine factors associated with the onset and course of mental health conditions during adolescence. This paper describes the design, methods, and baseline characteristics of the FPS cohort. Methods: The FPS is an Australian school‐based prospective cohort study with an embedded cluster‐randomized controlled trial examining the effects of digital prevention programs on mental health. Data sources include self‐report questionnaires, cognitive functioning, linkage to health and education records, and smartphone sensor data. Participants are assessed annually for 5 years. Results: The baseline cohort (N = 6388, M = 13.9 years) is broadly representative of the Australian adolescent population. The clinical profile of participants is comparable to other population estimates. Overall, 15.1% of the cohort met the clinical threshold for depression, 18.6% for anxiety, 31.6% for psychological distress, and 4.9% for suicidal ideation. These rates were significantly higher in adolescents who identified as female, gender diverse, sexuality diverse, or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (all ps < 0.05). Conclusions: This paper provides current and comprehensive data about the status of adolescent mental health in Australia. The FPS cohort is expected to provide significant insights into the risk, protective, and mediating factors associated with development of mental health conditions during adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Telephone‐based cognitive screens, such as the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS), can potentially reduce the barriers and costs of assessing older adults. However, validation of clinically relevant psychometric properties is lacking in a large and comprehensively assessed sample of older adults. Furthermore, published normative data may lack sensitivity as they have not used regression‐based demographic corrections or accounted for cases with subsequent dementia. We address these gaps using the modified TICS (TICS‐M; a modified, 13‐item, 39‐point version) and provide an online norms calculator for clinicians and researchers. DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal study. SETTING: Sydney, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 617 community‐living older adults, aged from 71 to 91 years. MEASUREMENTS: The measures used included the TICS‐M, the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination‐Revised (ACE‐R), and a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Descriptive statistics, correlations, area under the curve, and regression analyses were used to determine the validity and normative properties of the TICS‐M. RESULTS: TICS‐M total scores (mean = 24.20; SD = 3.76) correlated well with the MMSE (0.70) and ACE‐R (0.80) and moderately with neuropsychological tests tested noncontemporaneously. A cutoff score of 21 or lower reliably distinguished between those with and without incident dementia after 1 year (sensitivity = 77%; specificity = 88%) but was less reliable at distinguishing mild cognitive impairment from normal cognition. TICS‐M scores decreased with age and increased with higher education levels. The robust normative sample, which excluded incident dementia cases, scored higher on the TICS‐M and with less variability than the whole sample. An online calculator is provided to compute regression‐based norms and reliable change statistics. CONCLUSIONS: In a large sample of community‐dwelling older adults, the TICS‐M performed well in terms of construct validity against typical screening tools and neuropsychological measures and diagnostic validity for incident dementia. The comprehensive, regression‐based, and robust normative data provided will help improve the sensitivity, accessibility, and cost‐effectiveness of cognitive testing with older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2108–2115, 2019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]