Effects of autistic traits on social and school adjustment in children and adolescents: The moderating roles of age and gender

This study examined the associations between children's and adolescents’ autistic-like social deficits and school and social adjustment as well as the moderating roles of age and gender in these associations. The sample consisted of 1321 students (48.7% boys) in Grade 1 to Grade 8 from northern Taiwan. Children's and adolescents’ autistic-like social deficits were assessed using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and their school and social adjustment (i.e., academic performance, negative attitudes toward schoolwork/teachers/classmates, behavioral problems at schools, negative peer relationships, and problems with peers) were assessed using the Social Adjustment Inventory for Children and Adolescents (SAICA). Both measures were completed by the mothers of the participants. Results from the linear mixed models demonstrated that autistic-like social deficits were associated with poor academic performance, negative attitudes toward schoolwork, teachers, and classmates, behavioral problems at schools, negative peer relationships, and problematic peer interactions. Moreover, gender and/or age moderated the associations between autistic-like social deficits and school and social adjustment problems. For example, autistic-like social deficits were more strongly related to negative school attitude, school social problems, and negative peer relationships in boys than in girls. Further, autistic-like social deficits were more strongly related to problems with peers in older girls than in older boys or younger children (regardless of gender). In conclusion, the present study suggests that autistic-like social deficits may place children and adolescents at increased risk for social and school maladjustment and that the extent of maladjustment may vary with the child's age and gender and the domains of adjustment under discussion.     

Siblings of autistic children: Their adjustment and performance at home and in school

The research examined the adjustment of siblings of autistic children. The relationship between sex and family size of the siblings and the sibling's performance on achievement, self-concept, home behavior, and school behavior was examined. Six 2×2 analyses of variance were completed. Results indicated that there was little variance as a function of sex or family size. Overall the sibling's performance was not suggestive of needing special intervention. These results are discussed in terms of how they relate to previous findings and implications for clinical intervention and future research.This work is based on a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am grateful for the support and guidance offered by Rune Simeonsson, Nancy Johnson-Martin, Lee Marcus, Gary Mesibov, Marie Bristol, and Robert Kanoy.     

ADHD and autistic traits,family function,parenting style,and social adjustment for Internet addiction among children and adolescents in Taiwan: A longitudinal study

This longitudinal study investigated the prevalence, predictors, and related factors for Internet addiction among elementary and junior high school students in Taiwan. A convenient sample of grades 3, 5, and 8 students (n = 1153) was recruited from six elementary and one junior high schools. They were assessed during the beginning and the end of the spring semester of 2013. Internet addiction was examined by the Chen Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS). Other factors were screened using the Chinese version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) for autistic trait, the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) for parenting, the Family APGAR for family support, the Social Adjustment Inventory for Children and Adolescents for social function, and the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham, version IV scale (SNAP-IV) for ADHD symptoms. The prevalence of Internet addiction decreased from 11.4% to 10.6%. Male, low family support, poor social adjustment, and high ADHD-related symptoms were related to Internet addiction. However, there was an inverse relationship between autistic traits and Internet addiction. Further, its predictivity could be accounted by poor academic performance, male, and protective parenting style. Internet addiction is not uncommon among youths in Taiwan. The predictors identified in this study could be the specific measures for the development of a prevention program for Internet addiction in the youth population.     

Temperamental contributions to social behavior: the moderating roles of frontal EEG asymmetry and gender

OBJECTIVES: Infant temperament is thought to provide one of the fundamental bases for social and emotional development. Few studies have examined the direct and indirect influences of early temperament and physiological disposition on later development. METHOD: This article presents results of a longitudinal study that took place between the years 1989 and 1996 in which the relations between maternal reports of negative reactivity at 9 months of age and maternal ratings and laboratory observations of social wariness and sociability at 4 years of age (n = 97) were examined. Also examined were the moderating roles of (1) frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry as assessed at 9 months of age and (2) the child's gender. RESULTS: Negative reactivity predicted social wariness for infants with right frontal EEG asymmetry, but not for those with left frontal EEG asymmetry and for boys but not girls. The only significant predictor of sociability was gender. Specifically, at 4 years of age girls were rated higher on the measure of sociability than were boys. CONCLUSION: The findings are discussed in terms of the roles of frontal EEG asymmetry and gender in moderating the impact of temperamental negative reactivity on later social behavior.     

Effects of fenfluramine on social behavior in autistic children

Deficit in social interaction is a primary component of infantile autism. However, in the majority of drug studies, social interaction has not been measured consistently over time. Therefore, we examined, in a crossover design, the effect of fenfluramine on the social interactions of seven autistic children. Social interaction was measured one to three times per week, while the children were in open placebo, placebo, or drug phases of the study. The results demonstrated that the effect of fenfluramine on social interaction was inconsistent across children, with two children possibly demonstrating a tolerance to the behavioral effects of the drug. The results are discussed with respect to genetic and pharmacologic factors.     

Unsupervised self-care predicts conduct problems: The moderating roles of hostile aggression and gender

Despite widespread speculation about the detrimental effect of unsupervised self-care on adolescent outcomes, little is known about which children are particularly prone to problem behaviors when left at home without adult supervision. The present research used data from a longitudinal study of 674 Mexican-origin children residing in the United States to examine the prospective effect of unsupervised self-care on conduct problems, and the moderating roles of hostile aggression and gender. Results showed that unsupervised self-care was related to increases over time in conduct problems such as lying, stealing, and bullying. However, unsupervised self-care only led to conduct problems for boys and for children with an aggressive temperament. The main and interactive effects held for both mother-reported and observational-rated hostile aggression and after controlling for potential confounds.     

Comorbidity of autistic disorder in children and adolescents

Although considerable research has been done on various aspects of autism, information about the prevalence of coincident psychiatric disorders that may complicate this syndrome, is negligible. In this paper, we present preliminary data on the presentation of other psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents with autism. Out of an outpaticent sample of 68 autistic children and adolescents, 6 (9%) presented with an associated psychiatric disorder. Depression was the most common diagnosis. None of the patients was given a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Clinical and research implications of the findings are discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Obwohl zu verschiedenen Aspekten des Autismus viel geforscht wurde, gibt es kaum Informationen zur koinzidentiellen Prävalenz von psychiatrischen Störungen, die das Syndrom komplizieren könne. In dieser Arbeit stellen wir vorläufige Daten über begleitende psychiatrische Störungen bei Kindern und Jugedlichen mit Autismus vor. Von 68 ambulant behandelten Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Autismus zeigten 9% eine assoziierte psychiatrische Störung. Depression war die häufigste Diagnose. Bei keinem der Patienten war die Diagnose Schizophrenie gestellt worden. Klinische und wissenschaftliche Implikationen dieser Befunde werden diskutiert.

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Résumé Bien qu'une recherche considérable ait été enterprise concenant les différents aspects de l'autisme, l'information sur la prévalence des troubles psychiatriques coïcidant et pouvant compliquer ce syndrome reste négligeable. Dans ce travail, nous présentons des faits préliminaires concernant les autres troubles psychiatriques chez les enfants et les adolescents avec autisme. Parmi un échantillon de 68 enfants et adolescents autistes vus en consultation: 6 (9%) présentaient un trouble psychiatrique associé La dépressio était le diagnostic le plus commun. Aucun des patients n'a eu un diagnostic de schizophrénie. Les implications de ces faits pour la clinique et la recherche sont discutées.

     

Expression of separation anxiety disorder: The roles of age and gender

The purpose of this study was to examine the roles of age and gender in the symptom expression of separation anxiety disorder. Forty-five males and females of varying ages served as subjects. The nine symptoms included in the DSM-III diagnostic criteria for separation anxiety disorder were used as dependent variables. No gender differences were found on any of the symptoms. However, interesting age differences were discovered for specific symptoms and for the total number of clinically significant symptoms.This research was supported in part by NIMH Grant MH-00546.     

Autistic features in school age children: IQ and gender effects in a population-based cohort

Level and characteristics of intellectual function (IQ) have been associated with symptom presentation in children with autism spectrum disorder. The present study examined associations between IQ and autistic features in a sample of school aged boys and girls selected from a population-based cohort. The study included detailed examinations of 325 children aged 8–12 years, selected from the sample of the Bergen Child Study. IQ was assessed using the third version of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III) and autistic features by parent reports on the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ). Boys obtained higher ASSQ scores than girls. Gender and FSIQ had main effects on ASSQ scores, with the ASSQ scores showing a gradual decline with higher FSIQ for both genders. Discrepancies between verbal and performance IQ were relatively unrelated to ASSQ scores. The findings emphasize the importance of conducting careful assessments of children before reaching conclusions about cognitive function and autistic features.     

Effects of gender,age and diagnosis on perceived parental care and protection in adolescents

To assess whether perceived parental care and protection varied according to age and gender of the child and whether they were associated with psychiatric diagnoses, these constructs were measured with the Parental Bonding Instrument in a cohort of non-referred adolescents (n= 762), in a clinically referred cohort (n= 1299), and in a group of adolescents from the referred cohort (n= 365) for whom DSM-III diagnoses were available. Significant differences in parental care and protection according to clinical status, age, gender and diagnosis were found. However, perceived parental affectionless control was not associated with emotional disorders in adolescents, contrary to reports in adult subjects, but with clinical status.     

Judicial stress: the roles of gender and social support

Because judges experience a myriad of occupational stressors, they are at risk of experiencing secondary trauma, burnout, negative mental/physical health, poor job performance and low job satisfaction. These experiences might not be uniform, however, as gender and social support might mitigate such stress-related outcomes. Judges from two states in the United States completed a variety of stress and subjective performance measures. Social support was related to less perceived stress, less burnout, and more job satisfaction, but only for males. This suggests that males and females might receive qualitatively different types of social support. Different types of social support could differ in their ability to buffer judges from these stress-related outcomes. Further, among judges with high social support, females scored higher than males on subjective job performance; the opposite pattern occurred for judges with low social support. Thus, a lack of social support appears to have a negative effect on performance self-appraisals but only for females. Results have implications for the psychological study of stress and for programs designed to reduce judges’ stress.     

A classroom-based social skills training program for children with social competence and school adjustment problems

The increasing emphasis on social development in the curriculum of schools today has necessitated that teachers acquire strategies for social skills training. In this study the effectiveness of a classroom-based social skills training program is evaluated. Derived from a cognitive-social learning and behavioural perspective the program emphasizes the direct verbal explanation and modelling of social skills along with guided practice, role playing and beedback as the mechanism for developing social competence in socially rejected or neglected primary age children. The program was found to be moderately successful in improving social competence and social acceptance as measured by peer and teacher ratings. Implications for further research are discusses.     

Effects of peer-mediated social initiations and prompting/reinforcement procedures on the social behavior of autistic children

Peer-mediated social initiations and prompting/reinforcement procedures were evaluated (in training and generalization sessions) as interventions for increasing the positive social behavior of four autistic children. During base-line, the peer trainer made few social initiations and did not prompt or socially reinforce subjects. For two subjects, baseline was followed by social initiation intervention, and for the other two, baseline was followed by prompting and social reinforcement. Both interventions produced dramatic and comparable increases in positive social behavior in training sessions. Post-treatment responding was not observed for either intervention. When interventions terminated in a second baseline period, the subjects' behavior returned to the level observed during the initial baseline. The subjects were then exposed to the intervention procedure they had not yet experienced. Again, there were positive and comparable behavior changes in the treatment setting, but no increase in positive social behavior was observed during generalization assessment.     

Overlap of autistic and schizotypal traits in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study addresses the unraveling of the relationship between autism spectrum and schizophrenia spectrum traits in a population of adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Recent studies comparing isolated symptoms of both spectrum disorders as well as diagnostic criteria for each (DSM-IV-TR) suggest resemblances in the clinical phenotype. A group of 27 adolescents with ASD (11 to 18 years) and 30 typically developing adolescents, matched for age and gender, participated in this study. Within the ASD group 11 adolescents satisfied DSM-IV-TR criteria for schizotypal personality disorders. Autistic and schizotypal traits were identified by means of well validated questionnaires (Autism Questionnaire, AQ and Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Revised, SPQ). Significantly more schizotypal traits in adolescents with ASD were found than in typically developing controls. Besides high levels of negative symptoms, adolescents with ASD also displayed high levels of positive and disorganized symptoms. There appeared to be a relationship between the mean level of autistic symptoms and schizotypal traits, as well as specific associations between autistic symptoms and negative, disorganized and positive schizotypal symptoms within individuals. Schizotypal symptomatology in all sub dimensions that are reflected by the SPQ scores, was most prominently associated with attention switching problems of the autism symptoms from the AQ. These findings indicate that patients diagnosed with an ASD show schizophrenia spectrum traits in adolescence. Although other studies have provided empirical support for this overlap in diagnostic criteria between both spectrum disorders, the present findings add to the literature that behavioral overlap is not limited to negative schizotypal symptoms, but extends to disorganized and positive symptoms as well.     

人格特质和社会支持对青少年抑郁特质和抑郁状态的影响

目的 探讨人格特质和社会支持对青少年抑郁特质和抑郁状态的独立作用，以及在压力性生活事件对抑郁特质和状态影响中的调节作用。方法 采用方便抽样法，于2022年7—8月选取四川省某所中学的303名中学生为研究对象。采用青少年生活事件量表、中国大五人格问卷简版、青少年社会支持量表、特质抑郁量表、流调用抑郁量表在线调查青少年的压力性生活事件、人格特质、社会支持、抑郁特质、抑郁状态。采用多重线性回归分析人格特质和社会支持对青少年抑郁特质和抑郁状态的影响，并分析人格特质和社会支持在青少年压力性生活事件对抑郁特质和抑郁状态影响中的交互作用。结果 多重线性回归分析结果显示，开放性人格特质与青少年抑郁特质呈负相关（β=-0.17,95%CI:-0.27～-0.08,P<0.05），社会支持与青少年抑郁特质（β=-0.16,95%CI:-0.21～-0.10,P<0.05）和抑郁状态呈负相关（β=-0.13,95%CI:-0.19～-0.07,P<0.05）。交互作用结果显示，开放性人格在生活事件对青少年抑郁特质的影响中表现出调节作用（P<0.05），社会支持在生活事件对青少年抑郁状...     

Parenting and social competence in school: The role of preadolescents' personality traits

In a study of 230 preadolescent students (mean age 11.3 years) from the wider area of Athens, Greece, the role of Big Five personality traits (i.e. Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness and Extraversion) in the relation between parenting dimensions (overprotection, emotional warmth, rejection, anxious rearing) and social competence in school was examined. Multiple sets of regression analyses were performed. Main effects of Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience were identified. Limited evidence for moderation and some support of gender-specific parenting was found. Agreeableness and Extraversion interacted with paternal overprotection, whereas Neuroticism interacted with maternal and paternal rejection in predicting social competence. Mean differences in gender and educational grade were reported. The relationship between environmental effects (such as parenting during early adolescence) and social adjustment in school is discussed in terms of the plasticity and malleability of the preadolescents' personality characteristics.     

Social adjustment and placement of autistic children in Middlesex: A follow-up study

A follow-up study of 32 autistic children identified in an epidemiological survey when they were 8 to 10 years of age and investigated 8 years later at 16 to 18 years of age is presented and discussed. Outcome is described in terms of general social adjustment, employment, and placement history. Results are contrasted with those for a comparison group identified in the original survey and those reported for comparably defined children in other studies. Only one autistic child was employed, and outcome was in general worse for the autistic group in which 62% required extensive care and supervision. There does not seem to be a direct relationship between employability and amount of schooling. Expectations with respect to outcome can be indicated with some confidence for comparable groups.This paper is based on research supported by a grant MH20537 awarded by the National Institute of Mental Health.     

Family and school influences on adolescents' adjustment: The moderating role of youth hopefulness and aspirations for the future

Using a school-based sample of 675 adolescents, this short-term longitudinal investigation examined the relationships among individual, family, and school influences on adolescent adjustment problems. Adolescents' perceptions of school climate and their sense of connectedness to school were negatively associated with conduct problems. A significant interaction between parental academic support and adolescents' academic aspirations was detected for the total sample, boys, and White youth, indicating that parental support serves a protective function against conduct problems for students with low academic expectations. Adolescents' hopefulness, parental academic aspirations, and school connectedness were negatively associated with depression. Adolescents' hopefulness and their academic aspirations moderated associations between both family and school influences on adolescent adjustment with youth gender and race qualifying these interaction effects.     

The mediating role of social skills and sensation seeking in the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and school adjustment in adolescents

Drawing upon a sample of 400 female high school students in Tehran, Iran, the present study examines the mediating role of social skills and sensation seeking in the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and school adjustment in adolescent girls. Statistical analysis revealed positive correlations between trait emotional intelligence and school adjustment; trait emotional intelligence and social skills; and social skills and school adjustment. The study also revealed a negative correlation between trait emotional intelligence and sensation seeking, as well as sensation seeking and school adjustment. In addition, the data provided a good fit to the hypothesized model of the mediating role of social skills and sensation seeking in the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and school adjustment.