| 1. |
- Isaksson, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Community Violence Exposure and Eating Disorder Symptoms among Belgian, Russian and US Adolescents : Cross-Country and Gender Perspectives.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Child Psychiatry and Human Development. - : Springer. - 0009-398X .- 1573-3327.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Community violence exposure (CVE) is one of the most common adverse childhood experiences worldwide. Despite this, its potential effect on disordered eating in adolescents from different cultures is underexplored. In the present cross-sectional study, self-reported data were collected from 9751 students (Mean age = 14.27) from Belgium, Russia and the US on CVE (witnessing violence and violence victimization), eating disorder (ED) symptoms (ED thoughts with associated compensatory behaviors), and comorbid symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression and anxiety. Increased CVE (from no exposure to witnessing to victimization) was associated with more ED symptoms, and the associations remained significant after adjusting for comorbid conditions. The associations were similar for adolescents across the three countries. No gender differences were observed in the association between CVE and ED symptoms, even though girls in general reported more ED symptoms than boys. We conclude that CVE appears to be associated with ED symptoms in three culturally different samples of adolescents.
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| 2. |
- Koposov, Roman, et al.
(författare)
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Community Violence Exposure and School Functioning in Youth : Cross-Country and Gender Perspectives
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Public Health. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-2565. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Many children and adolescents experience violent events which can be associated with negative consequences for their development, mental health, school, and social functioning. However, findings between settings and on the role of gender have been inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate cross-country and gender differences in the relationship between community violence exposure (CVE) and school functioning in a sample of youths from three countries. Methods: A self-report survey was conducted among school students (12-17 years old) in Belgium (Antwerp, N = 4,743), Russia (Arkhangelsk, N = 2,823), and the US (New Haven, N = 4,101). Students were recruited from within classes that were randomly selected from within schools that had themselves been randomly selected (excepting New Haven, where all students were included). CVE was assessed with the Screening Survey of Exposure to Community Violence. School functioning was assessed with four measures: the Perceived Teacher Support scale, Negative Classroom Environment scale, and Academic Motivation and Perception of Safety at School scales. Multivariate Analyses of Covariance were performed to assess differences in the levels of school-related problem behaviors in boys and girls, who reported different degrees of CVE. Results: Participants in all three countries reported a relatively high prevalence of violence exposure (36.2% in Belgium, 39.3% in Russia and 45.2% in the US who witnessed violence), with a higher proportion of girls than boys witnessing violent events (varied from 37.4 to 51.6% between the countries), whereas boys reported more episodes of victimization by violence than girls (varied from 32.3 to 49.9% between the countries). Youths who experienced increased CVE (from no exposure to witnessing to victimization) reported an increase in all school functioning problems in all of the countries and this association was not gender-specific. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that regardless of differences in the level of CVE by country and gender, violence exposure is negatively associated with school functioning across countries. Nonetheless, even though reactions to community violence among adolescents may be expressed in a similar fashion, cross-country differences in social support systems should also be taken into account in order to provide culturally sensitive treatment modalities.
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| 3. |
- Martin, Andrés, et al.
(författare)
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Early to bed : a study of adaptation among sexually active urban adolescent girls younger than age sixteen.
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0890-8567 .- 1527-5418. ; 44:4, s. 358-67
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between sexual activity among urban adolescent girls and four global measures of psychosocial adaptation (academic motivation, school achievement, depressive symptoms, and expectations about the future).METHOD: Data derived from the Social and Health Assessment, a self-report survey administered in 1998 to students in the public school system in New Haven, CT (149 classes at 17 middle and high schools).RESULTS: Of 1,413 respondents (57% black, 28% Hispanic; mean age 13.4 +/- 1.7 years), 414 (29%) acknowledged prior sexual intercourse; the proportions of sexually active girls in 6th, 8th, and 10th grades were 14%, 30%, and 50%, respectively. In multivariate analyses of covariance, sexual activity was significantly associated with all four measures of psychosocial adaptation (p < .001). Other correlates of at least one measure of maladaptation included socioeconomic status, sensation seeking, and lower school grade (p < .001 for each), peer pressure (p < .01), and black ethnicity, and the interaction of sexual activity by lower school grade (p < .05 for each).CONCLUSIONS: Compared with their sexually naive peers, sexually active adolescent girls had lower scores on global measures of psychosocial adaptation. These findings have clinical, policy, and research relevance to a vulnerable population at high risk of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
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| 4. |
- Ponnet, Kaat, et al.
(författare)
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Suicidal behaviour in adolescents : associations with parental marital status and perceived parent-adolescent relationship.
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 89:1-3, s. 107-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Because equivocal findings exist with regard to the relationship between adolescents' suicidal behaviour and parental marital status, the aim of this study was to investigate this relationship and in particular the effect of the perceived parent-adolescent relationship on this association, taking into account the role of gender.METHOD: For this purpose, self-report surveys were administered to a representative school-based sample of 2707 adolescents in Antwerp (Belgium).RESULTS: 1) Boys living in a single parent family reported more suicidal ideations and self-harming behaviour than boys living in an intact family or in a remarried family; 2) Girls living in a remarried family reported more suicidal ideations and self-harming behaviour than girls living in an intact or in a single parent family; 3) Even after controlling for the levels of perceived parent-adolescent relationship, these associations remained significant.LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design, the retrospective assessment of suicidality and changes in family structure, the lack of external information and the assessment of the parent-adolescent relationship for both parents together, may have influenced the findings.CONCLUSIONS: When assessing risk factors for adolescent suicidality, marital status of the parents may bear clinical importance. In contrast to other studies, the perceived parent-adolescent relationship did not alter this association, a finding that needs further study.
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| 5. |
- Ruchkin, Vladislav, et al.
(författare)
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Depressive symptoms and associated psychopathology in urban adolescents : a cross-cultural study of three countries.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0022-3018 .- 1539-736X. ; 194:2, s. 106-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The study aimed to compare cross-cultural trends of comorbid internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, prosocial beliefs, and perceptions of risk in adolescents with and without clinical levels of self-reported depressive symptoms. The Social and Health Assessment, a self-report survey, was conducted in a representative sample of 3309 adolescents 14 to 17 years old from urban communities in the United States (N = 1343), Belgium (N = 946), and Russia (N = 1009). In all three countries, girls reported higher levels of depressive symptoms than boys. The findings also demonstrate that in both genders, depressive symptoms were associated with increased levels of internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as lower levels of prosocial beliefs and low perceptions of harm from risk-taking behavior. Depressed boys had relatively higher levels of externalizing problems than depressed girls. Greater levels of internalizing problems observed in depressed youth, as compared with their nondepressed counterparts, were not gender-specific. Current findings suggest that the relationships between depression and comorbid psychopathology are not culture-specific and have similar patterns in different populations.
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| 6. |
- Ruchkin, Vladislav, et al.
(författare)
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Is posttraumatic stress in youth a culture-bound phenomenon? A comparison of symptom trends in selected U.S. and Russian communities.
- 2005
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Ingår i: American Journal of Psychiatry. - : American Psychiatric Association Publishing. - 0002-953X .- 1535-7228. ; 162:3, s. 538-44
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The cross-cultural applicability of the concept of posttraumatic stress was investigated by assessing symptom frequency and levels of comorbid psychopathology in adolescents from the United States and Russia.METHOD: A self-report survey was conducted in representative samples of 2,157 adolescents 14 to 17 years old from urban communities of the United States (N=1,212) and Russia (N=945).RESULTS: In both countries, the levels of all three major clusters of posttraumatic symptoms (reexperiencing, avoidance, and arousal), as well as of internalizing psychopathology, increased along with the level of posttraumatic stress. Expectations about the future had a tendency to decrease with increasing posttraumatic stress. No differences between countries in significant interaction effects for symptom levels were found.CONCLUSIONS: The current findings suggest that posttraumatic symptoms and their associations with other adolescent mental health problems are not culture bound and that the psychological consequences of trauma follow similar dynamics cross-culturally.
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| 7. |
- Ruchkin, Vladislav, et al.
(författare)
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Psychopathology and age at onset of conduct problems in juvenile delinquents.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. - 0160-6689 .- 1555-2101. ; 64:8, s. 913-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess psychopathology among incarcerated Russian juvenile delinquents in relation to the onset of conduct problems.METHOD: 358 male juvenile delinquents were interviewed from January to September 1999, using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version. Early behavior problems, current antisocial behavior, and psychopathology were also assessed through self-reports. The presence of conduct disorder (CD) and other diagnoses was determined according to DSM-IV criteria.RESULTS: 73.2% of the incarcerated youths met criteria for CD. 23.5% of the total sample reported at least 1 criterion for CD being present before the age of 10 years. All participants from this early-onset group fulfilled the criteria for CD. This group also had significantly higher rates of psychopathology, and particularly of externalizing behaviors, as compared with youths whose conduct problems began at or after the age of 10 years.CONCLUSION: Poor psychosocial adaptation and future prognosis in juvenile delinquents with early-onset conduct problems may be related to their greater degree of psychiatric disturbance compared with later-onset delinquent youths. Need for psychiatric treatment should be carefully considered in prevention and rehabilitation efforts for troubled youths.
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| 8. |
- Ruchkin, Vladislav, et al.
(författare)
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The Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire : Russian validation of the teacher version and comparison of teacher and student reports.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Adolescence. - : Wiley. - 0140-1971 .- 1095-9254. ; 35:1, s. 87-96
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To confirm factor structure of the teacher Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and to compare teacher and student reports in Russian youth.METHOD: The SDQ and psychopathology measures were completed by teachers in a representative sample of urban adolescents (N = 528). The factor structure was examined on two randomly selected split-halves of the sample, and using a gender split. The functional impairment score was predicted by the SDQ problem scales.RESULTS: The fit for all models was acceptable. The fit did not decrease when applying increasing constraints in the random-split model, but became significantly worse for the gender model, suggesting lack of measure invariance. SDQ problem scales explained 37% of functional impairment variance. Significant scale interaction (emotional problems*peer problems and conduct problems*hyperactivity) suggest that combination of these problems produces an additional impact on functioning.CONCLUSIONS: The SDQ teacher report may represent a potentially useful screener for children and youth.
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| 9. |
- Ruchkin, Vladislav, et al.
(författare)
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The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire : the self-report version in American urban and suburban youth.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Psychological Assessment. - : American Psychological Association (APA). - 1040-3590 .- 1939-134X. ; 20:2, s. 175-82
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study examined the factor structure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in urban inner-city and suburban general population samples of American youth. The SDQ was administered to 4,661 predominantly minority urban youth (mean age = 13.0 years, SD = 2.02) and 937 predominantly Caucasian suburban youth (mean age = 14.0 years, SD = 1.56). The authors examined SDQ factor structure using structural equation modeling techniques. The fit for the 5-factor models in both samples was very good (comparative fit index = .96-.97). However, the factor loadings and, correspondingly, the scale reliabilities for most of the SDQ scales (except for Emotional Problems) were low, which suggests poor specificity of the items. Subsequent exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested that a 3-factor structure had a comparable model fit and better internal consistency of the scales. The study concluded that, although the SDQ scales do conform reasonably well to a 5-factor model, the scales are unsatisfactory in other respects and that, in its present form, the instrument has inadequate psychometric characteristics. Future research is needed for further scale development.
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| 10. |
- Ruchkin, Vladislav V, et al.
(författare)
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Suicidal ideations and attempts in juvenile delinquents.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. - 0021-9630 .- 1469-7610. ; 44:7, s. 1058-66
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Suicidality among adolescents is a common focus of clinical attention. In spite of links to disruptive behaviors and other types of psychopathology, it is not clear whether other factors commonly associated with suicide, such as personality and parenting, predict suicidality over and above psychopathology. The purpose of the present study was to assess suicidal ideations and attempts and their relationship to psychopathology, violence exposure, personality traits and parental rearing in Russian male juvenile delinquents with conduct disorder (CD).METHOD: Suicidality and psychopathology were assessed using a semi-structured psychiatric interview in 271 incarcerated male juvenile delinquents diagnosed with CD. Violence exposure, personality characteristics and perceived parental rearing were assessed via self-reports.RESULTS: Thirty-four percent of those diagnosed with CD (92 subjects) reported a lifetime history of either suicidal thoughts or attempts. Suicidal ideators and attempters did not differ significantly on any variable of interest, but both reported significantly higher rates of psychopathology and violence exposure than the non-suicidal group, as well as higher levels of harm avoidance, lower self-directedness, and higher rates of perceived negative parental rearing. Finally, even when controlling for the relationship with psychopathology, personality and perceived parental rearing factors showed significant associations with suicidality.CONCLUSIONS: Juvenile delinquents with CD have high rates of suicidal ideations and attempts, related to a wide spectrum of psychopathology and specific personality traits. These findings suggest that a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors create vulnerability to stressors, which under the influence of situational factors (e.g., repeated traumatization) may lead to suicidal thoughts and acts. Factors potentially contributing to vulnerability for suicidality should be identified when planning prevention and rehabilitation efforts for troubled youth.
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