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Studies have shown that elevated empathic abilities and impaired theory of mind (ToM) tasks may be associated with social anxiety disorder (SAD). Adolescence is a critical period for the onset of SAD which may cause impairment in various domains of functioning. We aimed to investigate the association of ToM and empathy characteristics in adolescents diagnosed as having SAD. Forty-one drug-naïve adolescents (between 12 and 18 years), who were diagnosed as having SAD without comorbidities were enrolled in the patient group. Forty adolescents in the same age range without any psychiatric disorders were matched as the healthy control group. The sample was evaluated via the Kiddie and Young Adult Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present and Lifetime Version. The severity of the SAD symptoms was evaluated using the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents. ToM was evaluated with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and emotion recognition was assessed by Faces Test. The KA-SI Empathic Tendency Scale was used to assess empathic abilities. The average age was 14.36 ± 1.41 years in the SAD group and 14.30 ± 1.04 years in the control group. Twenty-eight adolescents were female in the SAD and control groups. SAD and healthy controls did not differ in terms of sociodemographic data. There were higher scores in the KA-SI cognitive and affective empathic subscales (p < .001 in all scales) in the SAD group compared with the healthy controls. Adolescents with SAD have more difficulties both in Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and Faces Test. The results of this study may indicate that although adolescents with SAD may be impaired in decoding aspects of ToM they may evaluate themselves as more empathic in self-report tests. The discrepancy between objective tests of ToM decoding and subjective reports of empathy may play an important role in the etiology and treatment of SAD in adolescents., Author(s): Yusuf Öztürk [sup.1] , Gonca Özyurt [sup.2] , Serkan Turan [sup.3] , Caner Mutlu [sup.4] , Ali Evren Tufan [sup.5] , Aynur Pekcanlar Akay [sup.6] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411082.e, [...]

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Depression is a common mental health problem in adolescence. In this study it was aimed to investigate attachment properties, emotion regulation skills and anger expression patterns in adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and to compare the results with healthy controls' findings. Effects of having comorbid anxiety disorder (AD) to these psychological properties were also evaluated. The study was planned as three-centered, single-disciplinary, a cross-sectional study with a control group in Turkey. Depression group was consisted of 97 adolescents while control group was 101 adolescents. All participants were administered Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). Depression group had statistically lower scores in peer attachment and parent attachment, and higher scores in all subscales of DERS compared to the controls. Due to STAXI, it was observed that depression group obtained statistically significant higher scores in trait anger, repression of anger, expression of anger and statistically lower scores in control of anger, compared the controls. There was no difference in state anger between groups. In depression group, there were no significant differences for any promising psychiatric properties between adolescents with MDD and those with MDD + AD. The findings of this study supported that anger expression and emotional regulation difficulties were related with depression and that this relationship was also associated by attachment security. These findings are important for clinical practice to increase understanding of the association between attachment security, emotion regulation, anger expression and depression., Author(s): Gonca Özyurt [sup.1] , Yusuf Öztürk [sup.2] , Merve Onat [sup.3] , Caner Mutlu [sup.4] , Aynur Akay [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411795.f, 0000 0004 0454 9420, Department of [...]

This study investigates pragmatic language impairment, Theory of Mind (ToM), and emotion regulation in adolescents with Developmental Dyslexia(DD). The Social Responsiveness Scale-2(SRS) and Children's Communication Checklist-2(CCC-2) scores were found to be statistically significantly higher in the DD group than in healthy controls. DD group had lower performance in ToM skills and they have more difficulties in emotion regulation. We also found that CCC-2 and ToM scores were significantly correlated in adolescents with DD. These results may be important in understanding the difficulties experienced in social functioning and interpersonal relationships in adolescents with DD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the changes in ocular optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in the comorbidity of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific learning disorder (SLD). Methods: This study included 40 individuals diagnosed as having ADHD along with comorbid SLD, 40 individuals diagnosed as having only ADHD, and 40 individuals with no psychiatric disorders. OCT assessments were performed on eyes of the participants to obtain retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness, and macular thickness measurements. Results: In total, 240 eyes were evaluated. The right and left eyes were not significantly different in terms of RNFL, GCL, and macular thickness within groups (P >.05). RNFL thickness was measured and compared across four quadrants (superior, inferior, temporal, and nasal). Although these values were not significantly different between the groups (P >.05), RNFL was observed to be thinner in children with comorbid ADHD and SLD in all quadrants. Similarly, GCL and macular thickness measurements were also not different between the groups (P >.05). Conclusions: Considering that retinal nerve fibers can be seen as an extension of the brain in the embryologic context, the results showed that OCT findings alone are not sufficient to detect the changes in ADHD and SLD comorbidity. The authors suggest that OCT is more useful in the etiology and follow-up of neurodegenerative diseases rather than neurodevelopmental disorders. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2024;61(2):128–136.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate social cognition and empathy properties in children among Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) + Attention and Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD); ADHD and healthy controls from Türkiye. Methods: Twenty-two children with DMDD were compared to matched 30 children with ADHD and 60 healthy controls. We administered Affective Reactivity Index (ARI), KaSi Empathy Scale, Kiddie-SADS, and Reading Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) to evaluate Theory of Mind skills to all study participants. Results: DMDD + ADHD group had lower performance in ToM skills and empathy than in two groups. The ARI scores were found to be statistically significantly higher in the DMDD group than in two groups. It was also found that ARI, empathy, and ToM scores were significantly related in children with DMDD + ADHD. Conclusion: These results might be important to understand the difficulties in social functioning and interpersonal relationship in children with DMDD and ADHD. Children with DMDD may attend specific therapeutic programs which include specific techniques in social cognition, emotion regulation, and irritability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: While health workers were affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic on an individual and professional basis, their families and especially their children were directly or indirectly exposed to similar factors. This study aims to compare the emotion regulation competencies of school‐age children of healthcare workers in Turkey, before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic and to investigate their emotion regulation competencies during the pandemic in terms of care conditions, daily life activities and overall health. Methods: This study used the purposeful sampling technique and was designed as a cross‐sectional and relational survey study. To conduct this study, permission was received from the Ministry of Health Directorate‐General for Health Services, COVID‐19 Research Evaluation Commission, and İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University Non‐Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Date/Decision no: 04.03.2021/0090). The data‐collection process was carried out online between March and July, 2021. A total of 106 healthcare workers who serve in pandemic clinics or fields participated in this study. In addition to the information forms prepared by the researchers of this study, the Emotion Regulation Scale (ERS), which was adapted into Turkish, was used. One‐way analysis of variance for independent samples was used for the analysis of variables, and paired samples t‐test was used to compare emotion regulation competencies before and during the pandemic. Results: The children's total ERS scores increased during the pandemic (47.70 ± 8.35) when compared with their pre‐pandemic scores (44.86 ± 9.25), and furthermore this difference was found to be statistically significant (p = 0.000). The total mean ERS score of children with a healthcare worker parent increased significantly during the pandemic compared with the scores before the pandemic, which revealed that emotion regulation occurred at a lower level for these children. Conclusion: The effect of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the emotion regulation competencies of children whose parents are healthcare workers is evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, lockdown measures and difficulties in accessing healthcare have impacted asthma management in children. This study aimed to determine the evaluation of the impact of environmental changes on asthma control in children, access to health care, and treatment adherence in early coronavirus disease 2019 lockdown. Materials and Methods: The study included children with asthma aged 6-11 years. A survey form was administered to the patients who visited the pediatric allergy outpatient clinic between June 1 and 30, 2020. The survey acquired demographic information about the children and their families as well as information about their asthma symptoms, how they reached healthcare services, and adherence. The childhood asthma control test was administered. The P values <.05 were considered significant. Results: The study included a total of 123 children (female/male: 48/75) with a mean age of 8.4 ± 1.9 years. According to the mothers' self-report, it was found that 78% of the patients were not able to follow-up routinely, 19.5% were non-adherence to treatment, and 16.2% were poorly controlled asthma. It was found that, based on childhood asthma control test scores, asthma control was better during the pandemic lockdown period (P = .001). Asthma symptoms were better in 41.5% of the patients compared to the previous months and in 53.7% compared to the same period last year. Conclusion: Our study found that the children's asthma was controlled although most of them did not have their follow-up visits, and poorly controlled asthma was higher in older children in early coronavirus disease 2019 lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]