No abstract

The predictive relation between attachment and mother, teacher, and self-reported psychopathology was examined for a diverse socioeconomic status French Canadian sample of 96 children. Attachment classifications were assigned on the basis of reunion behavior with mother when the children were approximately 6 years old, and child problem behavior was assessed 2 years later using the Child Behavior Checklist (mother report), the Social Behavior Questionaire (teacher report), and the Dominic Questionnaire (child self-report). Results indicated that both insecure/ambivalent and insecure/controlling children children were rated higher than secure children on a composite measure of externalizing problems. Concerning internalizing problems, only the controlling group was significantly higher on both a composite adult (teacher and mother) and self-report measure of internalizing problems. Analyses of clinical cutoff scores showed that only the controlling group had a significantly greater likelihood of overall problem behavior than other children.

There are relatively few community-based epidemiological studies in which correlates of depressive disorders were identified through multivariate analyses in children and adolescents aged 6--14 years. Moreover, several family characteristics (e.g., parent-child relationship) have never been explored in this regard. The purpose of this study was twofold. Using data from the Quebec Child Mental Health Survey, it sought: (1) to identify psychosocial correlates associated with depressive disorder in two age-groups (6--11 and 12-14 years) according to informant (child/adolescent, parent); and (2) to interpret the relative importance of correlates by ranking variables according to strength and consistency of association across age-groups. Logistic regression models show correlates to be inconsistent across informants. The ranking of correlates indicates a major contribution of only-child status/ordinal position, parent's major depressive disorder, stressful family events, and parent-child relationship, thereby supporting the hypothesis of the relevance of family context in the development of depression.

Prevalence, symptoms, and treatment of depression suggest that major depressive disorders (MDD) present sex differences. Social stress-induced neurovascular pathology is associated with depressive symptoms in male mice; however, this association is unclear in females. Here, we report that chronic social and subchronic variable stress promotes blood-brain barrier (BBB) alterations in mood-related brain regions of female mice. Targeted disruption of the BBB in the female prefrontal cortex (PFC) induces anxiety- and depression-like behaviours. By comparing the endothelium cell-specific transcriptomic profiling of the mouse male and female PFC, we identify several pathways and genes involved in maladaptive stress responses and resilience to stress. Furthermore, we confirm that the BBB in the PFC of stressed female mice is leaky. Then, we identify circulating vascular biomarkers of chronic stress, such as soluble E-selectin. Similar changes in circulating soluble E-selectin, BBB gene expression and morphology can be found in blood serum and postmortem brain samples from women diagnosed with MDD. Altogether, we propose that BBB dysfunction plays an important role in modulating stress responses in female mice and possibly MDD.

Objectives: Over the last 15 years, adequate psychometric properties of the different versions of the Dominic led to the development of the Dominic Interactive for Adolescents (DIA). The DIA is a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), Fourth Edition, Text Revision-based self-administered computerized pictorial instrument for assessing the most frequent mental disorders in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years. Our study aims to verify the internal consistency, the test-retest estimate of reliability, and the criterion-related validity of this instrument. Method:The total sample included 607 adolescents living in the Montreal urban area recruited from the community (465 French-speaking) and the clinical population (142 French-speaking). Internal consistency was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha coefficients and test-retest estimate of reliability by the kappas and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Two criteria are indicative of criterion-related validity of the DIA: clinical judgment on the presence or absence of symptoms (scored independently by 3 judges) and the adolescents' referrals to outpatient psychiatric clinics. Results:For most symptom scales of the DIA, Cronbach's alpha coefficients varied from 0.69 to 0.89, test-retest kappas were 0.50 or greater, and ICCs ranged from 0.78 to 0.87. The criterion-related validity was demonstrated for symptoms, symptom scales, and the categories based on the symptom scale cut-off points. Conclusion:As no informant can be considered the criterion standard of psychopathology, the interview with adolescents regarding their own symptoms is necessary. Findings from our study reasonably support adequate psychometric properties of the DIA in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years. Can J Psychiatry. 2010;55(4):211-221. Clinical Implications· The DIA is a new DSM-based self-report measure with adequate psychometric properties in young adolescents. · The DIA quickly (in about 15 minutes) provides DSM-IV-TR approximates allowing clinicians to orient more in-depth investigation. · The DIA's brief administration time allows it to be used in conjunction with other measures during the same session. Limitations· The DIA is not sufficient to determine definite diagnoses; clinical judgment is always necessary in decision-making about intervention. · The lower cut-off point may overestimate possible mental health problems in adolescents from the community. · The unrepresentative sample limits the generalization of results to any target population of adolescents.

Objectives:As no single informant can be considered the gold standard of child psychopathology, interviewing of children regarding their own symptoms is necessary. Our study focused on the reliability, validity, and clinical use of the Dominic Interactive (DI), a multimedia self-report screen to assess symptoms for the most frequent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, mental disorders in school-aged children.Methods: A sample of 585 children aged 6 to 11 years from the community and psychiatric clinics was used to analyze the internal consistency, the test-retest estimate of reliability, and the criterion-related validity of the DI against the referral status. In addition, crossinformant correlation coefficients between this instrument (child report) and the Child Symptom Inventory (parent report) were explored in a subsample of 292 participants.Results: For the total sample, Cronbach alpha coefficients ranged from 0.63 to 0.91. Test-retest kappas varied from 0.42 to 0.62 for categories based on cut-off points, except for specific phobias. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.70 to 0.81 for symptom scales. The DI discriminated between referred and nonreferred children in psychiatric clinics for all symptom scales. Significant cross-informant correlation coefficients were higher for the externalizing symptoms (0.35 to 0.48) than the internalizing symptoms (0.14 to 0.27).Conclusions: Findings of our study reasonably support adequate psychometric properties of the DI. This instrument offers a developmentally sensitive screening method to obtain unique information from young children about their mental health problems in front-line services, psychiatric clinics, and research settings. W W W Fiabilité, validité, et utilisation clinique du Dominique interactif : un instrument fondé sur le DSM, auto-déclaré pour enfants d'âge scolaireObjectifs : Comme aucun indicateur unique ne peut être considéré comme étant l'étalon de référence de la psychopathologie pédiatrique, il est nécessaire d'interviewer les enfants à l'égard de leurs propres symptômes. Notre étude portait sur la fiabilité, la validité et l'utilisation clinique du Dominique interactif (DI), un instrument multimédia auto-déclaré servant à évaluer chez les enfants d'âge scolaire, les symptômes des troubles mentaux les plus fréquents du Manuel diagnostique et statistique des troubles mentaux, 4 e édition, texte révisé.Méthodes : Un échantillon de 585 enfants de 6 à 11 ans de cliniques communautaires et psychiatriques a été utilisé pour analyser la cohérence interne, l'estimation test-retest de la fiabilité, et la validité liée à un critère du DI contre l'état des sujets référés. En outre, les coefficients de corrélation inter-indicateurs entre cet instrument (rapport des enfants) et l'inventaire des symptômes des enfants (rapport des parents) ont été explorés dans un sous-échantillon de 292 participants.

To further investigate the long-term impact of pre-adoption adversity on international adoptees, externalizing and internalizing symptoms were assessed using a self-report measure at school-age in addition to mothers' reports. The sample consisted of 95 adopted children and their mothers. Children's health and developmental status were assessed soon after arrival in their adoptive family. At age 7, the Dominic Interactive, a self-report measure, was used to evaluate externalizing and internalizing symptoms while mothers completed the CBCL. Children's self-reports were compared to their non-adopted peers'. Adopted children reported more symptoms of specific phobia than their peers. A significant correlation was found between mothers' and children's reports but only for externalizing symptoms. Self-reported symptoms were related to indices of nutritional and psychosocial deprivation at arrival, such as low height/age and weight/height ratios. Our results emphasize the importance of considering international adoptees' perception of their psychological adjustment and the long-term impact of early risk factors.

No abstract