Impairments in 'theory of mind' (ToM) were linked to social cognition and reciprocal relationships deficits in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Twenty-four children with ADHD (13 with inattentive type and 11 with combined type, mean age 10.2 years) completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), a self-reported empathy questionnaire. All children performed the 'faux pas' task and a computerized ToM task in two different sessions either with or without administration of methylphenidate (MPH). Administration of MPH was associated with an improvement in cognitive and affective ToM. Children with ADHD-combined type had significantly lower scores in total IRI and the fantasy scale compared to children with ADHD-inattentive type. We conclude that deficits in empathy and ToM may play an important role in the impairments in social cognition and peer relationship in children with ADHD, especially children a hyperactive component. Stimulants may improve ToM and empathic functions. Future studies including larger samples and additional cognitive tasks are warranted in order to generalize these results and to identify possible underlying mechanisms for improvement in ToM following the administration of MPH.

Children with ADHD show impaired self-reported empathy and FPR when compared with healthy controls. Stimulants improve FPR in children with ADHD to a level equal to that in healthy controls.

Objective In this study, we aim to assess whether current mood state (depressed or manic/hypomanic) among parents with a mood disorder affects their reports of their offspring's psychopathology. Method Sixty-five parents with current depression, 42 with current mania/hypomania, 181 with mood disorder in remission, and their offspring (n=479, ages 6-18) completed assessments of offspring IP psychopathology as part of the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS). We compared rates of offspring psychopathology assessed using the following: a clinician-administered semi-structured interview with parent and child using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS); parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL); offspring self-reported Youth Self Reports (YSR) for those 11 years and older (n=250); and teachers’ reports when available (n= 209). Results There were no between-group differences in rates of psychopathology yielded from the K-SADS, except for more depressive disorders in offspring of parents with current mania/hypomania compared to offspring of parents in remission. Conversely, using the CBCL and comparing with parents who were in remission, parents with current depression reported significantly more externalizing psychopathology in offspring, whereas parents with current mania/hypomania reported more externalizing and internalizing psychopathology in their offspring. On the YSR, offspring of parents with current mania/hypomania had more internalizing psychopathology compared to offspring of parents in remission. Teacher's reports showed no between-group differences in rates of any psychopathology. Conclusion Parental active mood symptomatology, especially during a manic/hypomanic episode, significantly affects their reports of their offspring's psychopathology. Trained interviewers reduce potential report bias. Clinicians and studies assessing children's psychopathology should take into account parental current mood state.

Background The purpose of this study is to compare the dimensional psychopathology, as ascertained by parental report, in preschool offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BP) and offspring of community control parents. Methods 122 preschool offspring (mean age 3.3 years) of 84 parents with BP, with 102 offspring of 65 control parents (36 healthy, 29 with non-BP psychopathology), were evaluated using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the CBCL-Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP), the Early Childhood Inventory (ECI-4), and the Emotionality Activity Sociability (EAS) survey. Teachers’ Report Forms (TRF) were available for 51 preschoolers. Results After adjusting for confounders, offspring of parents with BP showed higher scores in the CBCL total, externalizing, somatic, sleep, aggressive, and CBCL-DP subscales; the ECI-4 sleep problem scale; and the EAS total and emotionality scale. The proportion of offspring with CBCL T-scores ≥2 SD above the norm was significantly higher on most CBCL subscales and the CBCL-DP in offspring of parents with BP compared to offspring of controls even after excluding offspring with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and/or oppositional defiant disorder. Compared to offspring of parents with BP-I, offspring of parents with BP-II showed significantly higher scores in total and most CBCL subscales, the ECI-4 anxiety and sleep scales and the EAS emotionality scale. For both groups of parents, there were significant correlations between CBCL and TRF scores (r = .32–.38, p-values ≤.02). Conclusions Independent of categorical axis-I psychopathology and other demographic or clinical factors in both biological parents, preschool offspring of parents with BP have significantly greater aggression, mood dysregulation, sleep disturbances, and somatic complaints compared to offspring of control parents. Interventions to target these symptoms are warranted.

The presented evidence does not support the utility of bilateral prefrontal stimulation to treat adult ADHD. Due to the small sample size, caution must be exercised in interpreting our preliminary findings.

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The current study aimed to explore the possible effect of stimulants on oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide which regulates social behavior, as a mediator of the pro-social effect of methylphenidate (MPH) in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to healthy controls (HCs). Utilizing a double-blind placebo-controlled design, we compared the performance of 50 children with ADHD and 40 HCs in "theory of mind" (ToM) tasks and examined the effect of a single dose of MPH/placebo on ToM and salivary OT levels in children with ADHD at baseline and following an interpersonal interaction. Children with ADHD displayed significantly poorer ToM performance; however, following MPH administration, their performance normalized and differences between children with ADHD and HC were no longer found. Salivary OT levels at baseline did not differ between children with ADHD and HCs. However, after a parent-child interaction, OT levels were significantly higher in the HC group compared to children with ADHD. Administration of MPH attenuated this difference such that after parent-child interaction differences in OT levels between children with ADHD and HC were no longer found. In the ADHD group, OT levels decreased from administration of placebo to the parent-child interaction. However, the administration of MPH to children with ADHD was associated with an increase in OT levels after the parent-child interaction. We conclude that OT might play a role as a mediator of social deficits in children with ADHD and that the reactivity of the OT system to social interaction in children with ADHD might be impaired. Stimulants may improve ToM and social functions in children with ADHD via its impact on the OT system. PRS: OT and Social Cognition in Children with ADHD: Impact of MPH.

The Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory (DRRI) is a widely used questionnaire assessing deployment-related risk and resilience factors among war veterans. Its successor, the DRRI-2, has only been validated and used among veterans deployed for overseas military missions, but because many countries still enforce compulsory military service, validating it among nonclinical samples of healthy discharged soldiers following mandatory service is also a necessity. In the current study, a sample of 101 discharged Israeli soldiers (39 males, 62 females; mean time since discharge 13.92, SD = 9.09 years) completed the DRRI-2. There were 52 participants who completed the questionnaire at a second time point (mean time between assessments 19.02, SD = 6.21 days). Both physical and mental health status were examined, as well as symptomatology of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Cronbach's αs for all latent variables in the inventory ranged from .47 to .95. The DRRI-2 risk factors were negatively associated with psychological functioning, whereas resilience factors were positively associated with better self-reported mental health. Test-retest reliability coefficients were generally high (Pearson correlations were .61 to .94, all p values < .01). Our study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of the DRRI-2 in assessing salient deployment experiences among a nonclinical sample following mandatory military service.