Increasing Perceptions of Self-Worth in Preadolescents Diagnosed with ADHD

Purpose: To test the effectiveness of a school-based, nurse-facilitated support group in increasing perceptions of scholastic competence, social acceptance, behavioral conduct, perceived athletic competence, perceived physical appearance, and perceived global self-worth in preadolescents diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Design: A quasi-experimental design with 65 preadolescents diagnosed with ADD or ADHD in an upper-middle class community in the United States.
Methods: Participants randomly assigned to either the control or experimental group completed Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Children instrument at the beginning of the study and 4 weeks later. Students in the experimental condition participated in a school-nurse facilitated support group which met twice weekly for 4 weeks.
Findings: Participants in the support group had increased scores on each of the six subscales, with significant increases on four of the subscales, including perceived social acceptance, perceived athletic competence, perceived physical appearance, and perceived global self-worth.
Conclusion: Participation in a school-based, nurse-led support group was positively associated with perception of self-worth in preadolescents diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.     

Associations between oral health-related quality of life and emotional statuses in children and preadolescents

Oral Diseases (2012) 18 , 639–647 Objectives: To evaluate the associations between oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) and emotional statuses in children and preadolescents. Methods: One hundred and forty‐five Brazilian students (8–14 years) were clinically examined for caries, gingivitis, fluorosis, malocclusions, and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). OHRQoL was measured using two global ratings of oral health (OH) and overall well‐being (OWB). The Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (R‐CMAS) and Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) were used to assess anxiety and depression, respectively. Saliva was collected 30 min after waking and at night to determine the diurnal decline in salivary cortisol (DDSC). The results were analyzed using non‐paired t test/one‐way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation test, and multiple linear regression analyses. Results: 11–14‐year‐old participants had higher CDI scores (P < 0.01) and DDSC concentrations (P < 0.001). Participants with fewer caries and without gingivitis had higher DDSC concentrations (P < 0.05). TMD patients had higher DDSC concentrations and OWB ratings (P < 0.001). Girls had higher Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) scores (P < 0.01). There was positive correlation between RCMAS and CDI scores and OWB ratings (P < 0.05). The OH model retained age (β =0.312; P < 0.001) and the OWB model retained TMD (β = 0.271; P < 0.001) and CDI scores (β=0.175; P < 0.05). Conclusions: Children and preadolescents with poor emotional well‐being are more sensitive to the impacts of OH and its effects on OWB.     

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儿童错[牙合]畸形的早期矫治是指预防、诱导和阻断错[牙合]畸形的发生、发展,达到儿童颅面[牙合]功能与美观的协调与平衡。儿童错[牙合]畸形早期矫治概念提倡的是早期和及时,并且贯穿于乳牙列期、混合牙列早期和晚期、恒牙列期等各个颅面[牙合]的发育时期。儿童错[牙合]畸形的早期矫治遵循早期和阶段性的原则,通过预防错[牙合]]的发生、辅助治疗与错[牙合]畸形形成有关的口腔疾病及牙外伤、纠正口腔不良习惯、诱导牙萌出建[牙合]、治疗牙发育不良造成的咬合紊乱、阻断能造成功能和健康损害的咬合障碍、矫正面颌发育不调的骨性畸形,以达到颅面[牙合]的美观及功能完美协调发展和儿童心理的健康发育。儿童错[牙合]畸形的早期矫治应用活动矫治、功能矫治及固定矫治等技术,选择最佳的治疗时机矫正错[牙合],以达到临床阻断和预防的最大治疗效果,并简化错[牙合]的矫治,最终减轻患儿的治疗负担。儿童错[牙合]畸形的早期矫治是儿童口腔医学和口腔正畸学的重要内容,是现代儿童口腔医学和口腔正畸学发展的潮流和方向。     

Social competence and emotional/behavioral problems in a birth cohort of Sami and Norwegian preadolescents in Arctic Norway as reported by mothers and teachers

In a 7-year follow-up birth cohort from the general population in the Sami core area in Finnmark, Arctic Norway, we examined mothers’ and teachers’ reports of social competence and emotional/behavioral problems among 71 indigenous Sami and 77 Norwegian 11–12-year-olds. The instruments used were the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for parents and the Teacher Report Form (TRF). No ethnic differences were found on competence scales. Total Problems reported by Sami and Norwegian mothers were low in comparison with the overall mean found in multicultural meta-studies. Sami mothers reported lower Total Problems and Attention Problems than did Norwegian mothers. There were no ethnic differences on the TRF measures. Consistent with other international studies, mothers and teachers rated girls higher than boys on social competence and boys higher than girls on Externalizing and Attention Problems. Gender differences were larger on the TRF than on the CBCL. The very low problem ratings made by the Sami mothers indicate that there is a need for specific clinical cut-off points to distinguish between clinically referred and non-referred children in this indigenous Arctic population.     

Psychological characteristics and biofeedback mitigation in preadolescents with eating disorders

BACKGROUND: Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are considered to be the most serious eating disorders in female adolescents, with a multifactorial etiology and severe medical complications. It is interesting to investigate the specific relationships of these diseases to emotional stress, coping mechanisms and biofeedback mitigation. METHODS: The study comprised 76 obese and 27 anorectic girls, as well as 35 healthy girls as a control group. Psychological assessment was performed using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Emotional Profile Index, General Anxiety Scale, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and Cornell Medical Index. The therapy was multimodal, including a biofeedback relaxation system based on electrodermal response (EDR). RESULTS: Scores obtained from psychometric instruments, in particular concerning basic anxiety, intrafamily conflicts, self-defense and depression, showed that anorexia nervosa and hyperphagia are specifically stress related. Personality characteristics and the environment, as models for habits, modified the manner of coping with stress differently for anorexia and hyperphagia. The EDR biofeedback was shown to be an effective support for mitigation of eating disorders in preadolescents, with better results for anorectic girls. The correlated difference in personality profiles suggested the use of specific animated sequences. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirmed the hypothesis that obesity and anorexia nervosa could be related to different types of emotional stress and coping mechanisms, and accordingly be differently mediated by biofeedback technique.     

Is preadolescent mania the same condition as adult mania? A British perspective.

Until relatively recently, the prevailing view was that mania was uncommon in preadolescent children. In the past 15 years, however, there has been increasing interest in the idea that mania may be much more common at younger ages than previously recognized. This article is concerned with the issue of whether preadolescent mania represents the same kind of problem as adult mania. It reviews concepts of bipolar disorder and mania in adults and preadolescents, some of the issue that arise in diagnosing mania in children, and the evidence for continuities between preadolescent and adult mania. The diagnosis of mania in preadolescent children often requires that inferences are made about the meaning of some symptoms but it is not always clear that these inferences are valid. It is concluded that the extant evidence does not provide a clear conclusion about the links between preadolescent and adult mania. More work is needed on the phenomenology and diagnosis of mania in children, on its natural history and on its familial correlates.