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Background We validated the Social Mistrust Scale (SMS) and utilized it to examine the structure, prevalence, and heritability of social mistrust in a large sample of Chinese children and adolescents. Methods In Study 1, a large sample of healthy twins (N = 2094) aged 8 to 14 years (M = 10.27 years, SD = 2) completed the SMS. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to assess the structure of the SMS and to estimate the heritability of social mistrust in a sub-sample of twins (n = 756 pairs). In Study 2, 32 adolescents with childhood-onset schizophrenia were compared with 34 healthy controls on levels of suspiciousness and clinical symptoms to examine the associations between the SMS and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Results We found a three-factor structure for social mistrust (home, school, and general mistrust). Social mistrust was found to be moderately - heritable (19%–40%), with mistrust at home most strongly influenced by genetic factors. Compared with 11.76% of the healthy controls, 56.25% of the adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia exhibited very high levels of social mistrust on all three subscales of the SMS. The SMS exhibited good discriminant validity in distinguishing adolescents with childhood-onset schizophrenia from healthy controls and showed associations with a broad range of symptoms assessed by the PANSS. Conclusions Social mistrust assessed by the SMS may be heritable. The SMS demonstrates good discriminant validity with clinical diagnoses of schizophrenia. However, it seems to be correlated with multiple aspects of psychopathology in the schizophrenia group, rather than being specific to delusional ideation/paranoia.

Background Paranoia, or excessive suspiciousness of others, has been one of the core psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia. Recent studies have extended the study of psychotic symptoms in clinical groups to psychotic-like experiences in the general population. Few studies have systematically examined the prevalence of paranoid thinking or its attenuated form, social mistrust, in young children in the community. The present study examined the Social Mistrust Scale (SMS) and utilized it to examine the structure, prevalence, and heritability of social mistrust in a large sample of Chinese children and adolescents. Methods We administered the SMS to 1047 pairs of healthy twins aged 8 to 14 years and conducted structural equation modelling (SEM) to assess the structure of the SMS. Heritability of social mistrust was estimated in a sub-sample of twins (n=959 pairs). Finally, we examined administered the SMS to 32 adolescents with childhood-onset schizophrenia and 34 healthy controls to examine the convergent validity between the SMS and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Results The SEM showed a three-factor structure for social mistrust (home, school, and general mistrust). Social mistrust was moderately heritable (39%, 95% CI [21%-59%]) with context-dependent sex differences. The SMS exhibited good discriminant validity in distinguishing adolescents with childhood-onset schizophrenia from healthy controls (AUC=0.80), and good convergent validity with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (rs = 0.33–0.45). Discussion Taken together, the present findings showed a stable latent structure of the SMS in a large-scale non-clinical sample of children and adolescents. We found a moderate heritability estimate for social mistrust (39%) in a large healthy-twin sample. In addition, significant gender differences were found, where home mistrust was heritable for males (58%) but not for females, and school mistrust was heritable for females (54%) but not for males. Finally, we also demonstrated that the SMS possesses good discriminate validity in identifying adolescents with childhood-onset schizophrenia from healthy controls and convergent validity with standardized clinical measures of schizophrenia symptoms.

To carry out a preliminary study on the emotional problems and parenting locus of control among children with anxiety disorders.A total of 110 children with simple anxiety disorders (AD group) and 113 normal children (control group) from September to December 2005 were enrolled. Children were asked to complete the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRSC), the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), and the Parenting Locus of Control Scale (PLOC).A total of 197 valid scales were returned.The scores of somatic, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social phobia anxiety, school phobia anxiety, total anxiety, and total depression were all higher in the AD group than in the control group (P0.01). The score of "education effects" for parents was significantly higher in the AD group than that in the control group (P0.01).Children with anxiety disorders tend to have more emotional problems and poorer parental education effects.

To study the relationship between rs6267 polymorphism of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).One hundred and fourteen children with ADHD and 76 normal volunteers were enrolled. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) techniques were used for detecting COMT rs6267 polymorphism. The behavioral problems were assessed by Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).There were no significant differences in the COMT genotype distribution and allele frequencies between the ADHD and normal control groups. The frequencies of thinking problems (1.7±1.9 vs 1.0±0.9) and disciplinary problems (4.5±3.7 vs 2.2±1.4) in ADHD children carrying genotype G/G were significantly higher than those in children carrying G/T (P0.05).COMT rs6267 polymorphism may not contribute to susceptibility to ADHD. However, there might be an association between rs6267 polymorphism and some clinical characters of ADHD.

To investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a representative sample of primary and middle school students in Hunan Province.A total of 9 495 children aged 5-17 years from Hunan urban and rural schools were enrolled by a cluster sampling and a two-phase design. The students' psychiatric status was assessed using the Investigation Screening Inventory for Child Mental Disorder and a semi-structured interview designed based on the DSM-IV criteria.The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 16.22%. Attention-deficit and disruptive behavior disorders were the commonest in the diagnostic categories of psychiatric disorders (10.69%). Regarding specific disorders, the most prevalent was attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (5.95%). Psychiatric disorders were more prevalent in boys than in girls (20.49% vs 11.16%; p0.01). The prevalence of attention-deficit and disruptive behavior disorders in boys was higher than in girls (14.76% vs 5.87%; p0.01). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in middle school students (12-17 years) was significantly higher than in primary students (5-11 years) (18.38% vs 14.64%; p0.01). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders between urban and rural students.Psychiatric disorders are common among primary and middle school students in Hunan Province. The prevalence of this disorder in boys is higher than in girls. The middle school students have higher prevalence than primary students.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common behavior disorders in childhood and adolescent. The etiology of ADHD is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between each of the 14 polymorphisms in the five candidate genes and ADHD, and between the combination of some polymorphisms in those genes and ADHD, in attempting to examine whether combinations of genotypes would confer a significant susceptibility to ADHD.One hundred and thirty-nine children with ADHD and one hundred and nineteen normal children were enrolled. Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of three candidate genes were examined with PCR and RFLP techniques. 48 bp VNTR in DRD4 gene was examined with PCR, nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining. Five microsatellites (MS) of three candidate genes were examined with genotyping. The relationship between the combinations of 12 polymorphisms and ADHD was examined with logistic regression analysis.1.The frequency of 1065T/1065T genotype and the 1065T allele were significantly higher in ADHD children than that in normal controls (P0.05). The frequency of -48G/-48G genotype of the A-48G polymorphism of DRD1 gene was significantly lower in ADHD children than that in normal controls (P0.05). 2. A specific combination of three polymorphisms in the two genes showing an association with ADHD gave a prediction level of 77.5%.The T1065G polymorphism in the SNAP-25 may be associated with ADHD. The 1065T/1065T genotype and the 1065T allele may be a risk factor for ADHD. The A-48G polymorphism of DRDI may be associated with ADHD. The -48G/-48G genotype may be a protective factor for ADHD. The specific combination of three sites of SNP in SNAP-25 gene and DRDI gene is found and shows an association with ADHD in 12 polymorphisms of the five candidate genes on glutamatergic/dopaminergic pathway.

To study the family rearing pattern of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with or without anxiety disorder and to explore its risk factors.9495 children and their parents were sampled at random in Hunan province, using two-stage investigation. Those who were diagnosed ADHD and the normal control filled out Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran and family adaptability and cohesion scale by themselves.The comparison of factors as: actual family cohesion, parents' punishments, rejection, mother's excessive protection, intervention and father's excessive protection were significantly different between ADHD with or without anxiety disorder and normal children (P0.05). The comparison of parents' punishments, rejection, excessive protection and intervention were obviously different between ADHD with anxiety disorder and simple ADHD (P0.05). Mother's rejection was the influencing factor of simple ADHD, with OR as 1.122. Ideal family cohesion, mother's rejection and father's punishments were the influencing factors of ADHD with anxiety disorder, with OR as 0.966, 1.215 and 1.089 respectively.There were some problems in the parental rearing pattern of ADHD with or without anxiety disorder. Mother's rejection, father's punishments and ideal family cohesion were suggested to be correlated with ADHD and anxiety disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood behavioral disorders. Genetic factors contribute to the underlying liability to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Several investigations have reported associations between ADHD and serotonin transporter promoter polymorphisms, but the results have been inconsistent. The present study did not find significant association between ADHD and serotonin transporter promoter polymorphisms, but did find an effect of serotonin transporter promoter polymorphisms on some ADHD symptomatology. Patients homozygous for the short allele showed more Withdrawn or Somatic complaint scores than subjects with the long allele.