Research digest
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Working memory deficits may compromise cognitive flexibility in OCD
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterised by recurrent intrusive thoughts and/or behaviours. These traits imply deficits in cognitive flexibility in affected patients, but it is unclear at what stage of information processing these deficits might emerge. To address this question, Nicole Wolff and colleagues asked 25 adolescents with OCD and 25 matched healthy controls to complete a computer-based task switching paradigm.
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Cognitive flexibility in OCD: challenging the paradigm
Data from a new study by Nicole Wolff and colleagues suggest that cognitive flexibility can be better in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) than typically developing controls.
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Dysregulation profile risk may be identified in infancy
The “dysregulation profile” (DP) describes a child psychopathology construct that measures broad-based, generalised emotional and behavioural dysregulation using the Child Behaviour Checklist
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Children with ASD at heightened risk for maltreatment
A study conducted by researchers at the University of South Carolina is the first to provide empirical evidence from population-level data that maltreatment is elevated in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) relative to the general population.
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Conduct Disorders and Aggression edition
Children and young people with conduct disorders often have additional comorbid learning difficulties, neurodevelopmental or mental health disorders, so it is important to be able to assess, recognise and offer appropriate interventions. The effects on a young person’s future and society may be significant if not managed well.
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Abnormal visual fixation does not mediate deficits in emotion recognition in conduct disorder
Studies have shown that conduct disorder (CD) is associated with impaired recognition of facial emotions1, but whether the cause of this deficit is due to difficulties with attention, interpretation and/or appraisal is unclear. Now, researchers at the Universities of Southampton and Bath have addressed this question.
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Aggression toward siblings during the preschool years: When does it become atypical?
Most children grow up with siblings. During early childhood, siblings spend a great deal of time together and must navigate challenging situations such as sharing toys and parental attention, features that make conflict inevitable and often emotionally intense.
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Comorbid anxiety disorder has a protective effect in conduct disorder
The presence of comorbid anxiety disorders (ADs) counteracts the effects of conduct disorder (CD) on facial emotion recognition, according to new research by Roxana Short and colleagues.
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Parenting practices that support the sensation-seeking child
Sensation-seeking is a personality trait of people who go after varied, novel, complex and intense situations and experiences. Sensation-seekers are even willing to take risks in the pursuit of such experiences. Until now, research has primarily focused on how sensation seeking relates to the development of undesirable behaviours, including drug and alcohol abuse, high risk sexual behaviours (like unprotected sex or having multiple partners), gambling and delinquency.
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Psychological interventions have a small but significant effect in young children with conduct disorder
In 2017, Mireille Bakker and colleagues performed a systematic review and meta-analysis for the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, of the currently available psychological treatments for children and adolescents with conduct disorder problems. Here, we summarise the researcher’s key findings and the potential clinical implications for this field.
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