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Previous studies have reported dysbiosis in the gut microbiota (GM) of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which may be a determining factor on child development through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. However, it is not clear if there is a specific group of dysbiotic bacteria in ASD. The aim of this study was to carry out a meta-analysis on the studies that analyze GM in children with ASD. 18 studies fulfilled our selection criteria. Our results showed a lower relative abundance of Streptococcus (SMD(+) = - 0.999; 95% CI - 1.549, - 0.449) and Bifidobacterium genera (SMD(+) = - 0.513; 95% CI - 0.953, - 0.073) in children with ASD. Overall, the Bifidobacterium genera is involved. However, differences found between studies are attributed to factors such as reporting bias.

Objective: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous condition with well-established symptom dimensions across the lifespan. The objective of the present study was to use network analysis to investigate the internal structure of these dimensions in unselected schoolchildren and in children with OCD. Method: We estimated the network structure of OCD symptom dimensions in 6,991 schoolchildren and 704 children diagnosed with OCD from 18 sites across 6 countries. All participants completed the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory−Child Version. Results: In both the school-based and clinic-based samples, the OCD dimensions formed an interconnected network with doubting/checking emerging as a highly central node, that is, having strong connections to other symptom dimensions in the network. The centrality of the doubting/checking dimension was consistent across countries, sexes, age groups, clinical status, and tic disorder comorbidity. Network differences were observed for age and sex in the school-based but not the clinic-based samples. Conclusion: The centrality of doubting/checking in the network structure of childhood OCD adds to classic and recent conceptualizations of the disorder in which the important role of doubt in disorder severity and maintenance is highlighted. The present results suggest that doubting/checking is a potentially important target for further research into the etiology and treatment of childhood OCD. Mr. Cervin has received funding from L.J. Boëthius Foundation, Lindhaga Foundation, Jerring Foundation, and Region Skåne that made possible the preparation of the present manuscript. Original data was collected in part by support from grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to Drs. Storch (1R01MH093381) and Geller (5R01MH093402).

Background Symptoms of depression and anxiety are common in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and associated with more severe OCD, greater impairment, and worse treatment outcome. Beyond twin studies showing that genetic factors contribute to the high co-occurrence, few studies have examined how OCD, depression, and anxiety are linked in youth, and current studies often fail to account for OCD and anxiety heterogeneity. Methods Network analysis was used to investigate how OCD were linked to depression and anxiety in multinational youth diagnosed with OCD (total n = 419) and in school-recruited, community-based samples of youth (total n = 2 991). Results Initial results aligned with earlier work showing that severity of obsession-related symptoms are important in linking OCD to depression in youth with OCD. However, when symptom content of OCD (e.g., washing, ordering) was fully taken into account and when measures of anxiety were included, specific OCD symptom dimensions (primarily obsessing and doubting/checking) were linked to specific anxiety dimensions (primarily panic and generalized anxiety) which in turn were linked to depression. These results were replicated in three separate community-based samples from Chile, Italy, and Spain using different measures of anxiety and depression. Limitations Cross-sectional data were analyzed which precludes causal inference. Self-report measures were used. Conclusions Youth with OCD with symptoms related to doubting/checking and obsessing should be carefully assessed for symptoms of panic and generalized anxiety. Non-responders to standard OCD treatment may benefit from interventions targeting panic and generalized anxiety, but more research is needed to test this hypothesis.

The relationship between emotion regulation, social interaction and different types of restricted and repetitive behaviors is poorly understood. In the present study, structural equation modeling based on information about 239 individuals with autism was used to examine whether emotion regulation and social communication were associated with self-injury and stereotyped behaviors. Results showed that poor emotion regulation had a unique association with self-injury while difficulties with social communication was uniquely associated with stereotyped behaviors. Emotion regulation and social communication were strongly associated and self-injury and stereotyped behaviors moderately associated. This implies that these types of behaviors are often expressions of broader negative emotional states in autism. Treatments that help improve coping and social communication strategies may benefit individuals with autism. Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature.

In recent years, there has been an increase in studies on the implications of gut microbiota (GM) on the behaviour of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) due to a dysbiosis in GM that can trigger onset, development or progression of ASD through the microbiota–gut–brain axis. The aim of this study is to carry out a systematic review of articles from the last 6 years that analyse GM in children with ASD compared to GM in control groups. Children with ASD showed a higher abundance of Roseburia and Candida genera, and lower abundance of Dialister, Bilophila, Veillonella, Streptococcus, Coprococcus and Prevotella genera. Those differences can be attributed to factors such as different nationalities, nature of control groups, place where the sample was taken, gastrointestinal (GI) problems or bacterial detection methods. It is still too early to define a specific GM profile of children with ASD, and future studies should focus on homogenizing the characteristics of samples and control groups. Furthermore, new multicentre studies should also focus on the impact of GM on GI physiology, neurophysiology and behaviour of children with ASD, and on performing psychometric analyses of the correlation between the severity of ASD behavioural symptoms and GM profiles.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a global crisis that has affected the emotional health of both the general and the clinical population. Method: The present study aimed to analyze the differences between the emotional states of a group of individuals with ASD and a neurotypical group both during and after the COVID-19 confinement. The study also examined the changes in autistic symptoms between a group of individuals with ASD who were confined during the COVID-19 pandemic and another group of individuals with ASD who were studied prior to the COVID-19 pandemic period. Results: Higher levels of aggression, irritability, hyperactivity and impulsivity, lack of attention and anxiety, among other symptoms, were found in individuals with ASD during confinement when compared to healthy controls (p < .05; p < .01). Higher levels of repetitive, restrictive, and stereotyped behaviors were also found in pandemic-era ASD individuals when compared to the group of individuals with ASD who were assessed prior to the pandemic (p < .01). Conclusions: the confinement is related to an increase in symptomatology and dysfunctional behaviours characteristic of ASD, and therefore it is necessary to implement actions that help to reduce this impact now, as well as in future crisis events.

The Social Emotional Health Survey-Secondary (SEHS-S), which is a measure of core psychological assets based on a higher-order model of Covitality, is comprised of 36 items and four latent traits (with three measured subscales): belief in self (self-efficacy, self-awareness, and persistence), belief in others (school support, family coherence, and peer support), emotional competence (emotional regulation, behavioral self-control, and empathy), and engaged living (gratitude, zest, and optimism). Previous international studies have supported the psychometric properties of the SEHS-S. The present study extended this research by examining the psychometric properties of a Spanish-language adaptation with a sample of 1042 Spanish adolescents (Mage = 14.49, SD = 1.65.). Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the original factorial structure, with hierarchical omega between 0.66&ndash, 0.93, with 0.94 for the total score. Factorial invariance across genders revealed small latent mean differences. A path model evaluated concurrent validity, which revealed a significant association between Covitality and bidimensional mental health (psychological distress and well-being). Specifically, correlational analyses showed a negative association with internalizing/externalizing symptoms, and positive associations with subjective well-being, health-related quality of life, and prosocial behaviors. This study provides an example of a culturally relevant adaptation of an international tool to measure student strengths, which is critical to planning school programming and policy.

Background and objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired communication, social interaction disorder, and repetitive behavior. Dysbiotic gut microbiota (GM) could be a contributing factor to the appearance of ASD, as gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are comorbidities frequently reported in ASD. As there is a lack of reviews about the role played by GM in the GI symptoms of ASD, this work aimed to carry out a systematic review of current studies comparing the GM of children with ASD and GI symptoms with those of healthy controls in the last six years. Materials and Methods: The systematic review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. The databases chosen were Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and PsycINFO, and the keywords were (gut* OR intestine* OR bowel* OR gastrointestinal*) AND (microbiota* OR microflora* OR bacteria* OR microbiome* OR flora* OR bacterial* OR bacteria* OR microorganism* OR feces* OR stool*) AND (autistic* OR autism* OR ASD*). Results: A total of 16 articles were included. Ten articles performed correlations analysis between GI symptoms and ASD. Among those 10 articles, 7 found differences between the GI symptoms present in children with ASD and healthy controls. The most common GI symptom was constipation. Among the seven articles that found differences, three performed correlations analysis between GI symptoms and gut microbe abundance. Candida, Prevotella, Streptococcus, and Veillonella showed higher and lower abundance, respectively, in children with ASD and GI symptoms in more than one article. Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinomyces, Dorea, Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratios showed abundance discrepancies. Conclusions: It is still too early to draw a conclusion about the gut microbes involved in GI symptoms of ASD. Future research should consider the relationship between ASD behavior, GM, and GI symptoms in a multidisciplinary way and homogenize sample characteristics.

Introduction: There is controversy over the real existence of differences in mental health and academic performance between the Mapuche ethnic minority male adolescents and the male adolescents not belonging to this ethnicity in Chile. Objective: In consequence, the aim of this study was to investigate the differences in emotional and behavioural symptoms, risky behaviours and academic success on the Chilean Mapuche and non-Mapuche adolescents. Design: The sample consisted of 233 adolescents of which 119 were Mapuche adolescents and 114 were non-Mapuche adolescents. Results: The results showed that the Mapuche adolescents do not have more anxiety problems and depression than the non-Mapuche adolescents. Furthermore, the Mapuche adolescents present less drug consumption and behavioural problems. Moreover, there were no differences in academic performance. Conclusions: This study provides social interest data of the adolescents' mental health, which can be useful for the country's socio-sanitary and political decisions. Future studies should investigate these and other variables related to the mental health of minorities in greater depth.

Introduction Traditionally, research and practice addressing mental health has been conducted within a unidimensional model, explaining mental health as the presence/absence of psychological problems (distress or psychopathological symptoms). More recently, accumulative evidence has supported a bi-dimensional model, which conceptualises psychological problems and psychological strengths (well-being) as related-yet-distinct continua that, when considered together, yields a more comprehensive understanding of individuals. The DetectaWeb Project is a web-based early detection assessment of the mental health continuum (MHC) for children and adolescents and aims to: develop a web-based platform for screening of the MHC, including both psychological problems (anxiety, depression and suicidality) and personal strengths (emotional, cognitive/psychological and social aspects); examine the prevalence of the MHC among children and adolescents; and analyse key determinants (risk and protective factors) of the MHC. Methods and analysis We will conduct an ongoing, multicentre observational, cross-sectional study of Spanish children and adolescents. Participants will be assessed through a web-based platform. In order to validate the web-based screening system, a clinical reappraisal will be completed among a subsample of respondents. To elucidate youth’s levels of subjective distress and well-being, we will include measures of anxiety, depression, suicidality, well-being, externalising problems and socio-demographic variables. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained at all sites. All participants will sign a free and informed consent form before the assessment. Results of the study will be communicated during national and international meetings in the field of clinical and health psychology with children and adolescents. Publications will be sought in journals usually read by psychologists or psychiatrists involved in the development of epidemiological studies and interventions for mental health promotion based on resilience building for children and adolescents. Detecta Web Project is a funded project by the Vicerrectorado for Research and Technological Development from Miguel Hernández University (BANCAJA-UMH, call 2010), the Department of Health Care (Consejeria de Sanidad) from the Valencian Community (SMI 10/2014), and a grant for the hiring of predoctoral research assistant granted the third author (ProgramVALi+d, Department of Education, Research, Culture and Sport from the Valencian Community).

Restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) is one of the two key diagnostic features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). DSM-5 highlights the importance of severity-based diagnostic modifiers assigned on the basis of intensity of needed supports. Therefore, there is a need for available measures that assess the severity of RRB. The repetitive behavior scale-revised (RBS-R) is probably the most used informant-based rating scale for the assessment of RRB and interests observed in ASD. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the RBS-R in a sample of 233 participants with ASD, aged 3 to 63 years. Results revealed a six-factor model, good internal consistency, and concurrent-divergent validity. These findings suggest the utility of the Spanish version of RBS-R.

In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in the development of assessment tools for obsessive-compulsive symptomatology in children and adolescents. The Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) is a well-established assessment self-report, with special interest for the assessment of dimensions of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This instrument has shown to be useful for clinical and non-clinical populations in two languages (English and European Spanish). Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the OCI-CV in a Chilean community sample. The sample consisted of 816 children and adolescents with a mean age of 14.54 years (SD = 2.21; range = 10–18 years). Factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent/divergent validity, and gender/age differences were examined. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a 6-factor structure (Doubting/Checking, Obsessing, Hoarding, Washing, Ordering, and Neutralizing) with one second-order factor. Good estimates of reliability (including internal consistency and test-retest), evidence supporting the validity, and small age and gender differences (higher levels of OCD symptomatology among older participants and women, respectively) are found. The OCI-CV is also an adequate scale for the assessment of obsessions and compulsions in a general population of Chilean children and adolescents. SCHOLARSHIPS IBEROAMERICA for Young Teachers and Researchers (Santander Universities. 2013).

This study examines the long-term effectiveness of a combined cognitive-behavioral and neuropsychological intervention in a woman of 19 years old with multiple sclerosis, by evaluating functional neuroimaging, neuropsychological and psychometric testing. The results showed a partial improvement in some brain areas and brain inflammatory activity. There was an increase in attention, verbal memory, and nonverbal executive functioning as well as in the emotional state at posttest and one-year follow-up. This study indicates the need for including components of both cognitive-behavioral therapy and neuropsychological rehabilitation based on an individualized and tailored plan in standard treatments for multiple sclerosis. Future studies should further develop these contributions.

In the last decades psychological studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the cognitive-behavioural therapy for most anxiety and depressive disorders. Recently, a different and complementary approach in terms of validation of cognitive-behavioural therapy has emerged: testing the efficacy of these therapies using functional neuroimaging techniques.Neurological studies evaluate the cerebral functioning causing the appearance of symptoms and monitoring the brain activity. In this revision study we show the implications of different brain structures (amygdala, cingulate cortex, thalamus, insula) with the characteristic symptoms of many mental disorders studied (obsessive-compulsive disorder, specific phobia, etc.) and the neurological changes after applying a cognitive-behavioural therapy.At the present there is a very limited number of studies due to the complexity in implementing this type of researches. However, data suggest changes in metabolic activity after cognitive-behavioural therapy at the same time as the decrease of symptoms. Future studies should control the influence of variables such as comorbidity and medication, which prevent more definitive conclusions.