86 research outputs found
Contribution of Epidemiology to Our Understanding of Psychiatric Genetics
No full textThe field of psychiatric epidemiology has advanced both methodological and substantive knowledge in our understanding of mental disorders through the following contributions: (1) development of standardized tools that operationalize diagnostic criteria in order to obtain reliable estimates; (2) estimation of the magnitude, correlates and service patterns of mental disorders; (3) documentation of patterns of comorbidity; (4) quantification of disability attributable to mental disorders; and (5) identification of risk and protective factors for mental disorders and their core domains. Community surveys using standardized tools for ascertaining psychiatric disorders have shown that mental disorders are highly prevalent in the general population. With the growing success in identifying genetic risk factors for chronic human disorders, the field of epidemiology will play an important role in defining study designs, appropriate samples, population generalizability, and statistical tools that will facilitate our ability to identify the joint influence of genetic and environmental factors on the susceptibility to mental disorders.</p
Investigating risk factors and clinical correlates of copy number variants in Autism Spectrum Disorders and schizophrenia
No full textTHESIS 9841Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (OMIM 209850) and schizophrenia (OMIM 181510) are both complex neurodevelopmental disorders with extensive emotional and physical costs. Although there has been some progress in understanding the risk factors, neural correlates and treatments for these conditions, the underlying etiology of ASDs and schizophrenia have not yet been elucidated
Using the tools of genetic epidemiology to understand sex differences in neuropsychiatric disorders
No full textThe phenotypic manifestations of rare CNVs in schizophrenia
No full textThere is compelling evidence for the role of copy number variants (CNVs) in schizophrenia susceptibility, and it has been estimated that up to 2–3% of schizophrenia cases may carry rare CNVs. Despite evidence that these events are associated with an increased risk across categorical neurodevelopmental disorders, there is limited understanding of the impact of CNVs on the core features of disorders like schizophrenia. Our objective was to evaluate associations between rare CNVs in differentially brain expressed (BE) genes and the core features and clinical correlates of schizophrenia. The sample included 386 cases of Irish ancestry with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, at least one rare CNV impacting any gene, and a core set of phenotypic measures. Statistically significant associations between deletions in differentially BE genes were found for family history of mental illness (decreased prevalence of all CNVs and deletions, unadjusted and adjusted) and for paternal age (increase in deletions only, unadjusted, among those with later ages at birth of patient). The strong effect of a lack of a family history on BE genes suggests that CNVs may comprise one pathway to schizophrenia, whereas a positive family history could index other genetic mechanisms that increase schizophrenia vulnerability. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation of the association between genome-wide CNVs and risk factors and sub-phenotypic features of schizophrenia beyond cognitive function
Gender differences in protective factors of child anxiety
No full textAnxiety is a commonly experienced emotion encompassed by nervousness, worry, and often
accompanied by physical symptoms such as increased heart rate (American Psychological
Association, 2015). Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in
both children and adolescents (Reinecke, Dattilio, & Freeman, 2006). While previous research
on gender differences in anxiety throughout adulthood is considerable, there is little on gender
differences among children. The present study examines protective factors of child anxiety,
namely self-esteem and coping strategies, from self-report data (Doyle, 2016) on children in
grades four and five to determine if gender differences exist. Maladaptive and adaptive coping
strategies were measured using the Coping Scale for Children and Youth (CSCY). Also, a
rating of global self-esteem was measured using the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory
Revised (SEI). While no gender differences were found on self-esteem, findings showed that
girls were significantly more likely than boys to draw on the coping strategy of “cognitive
avoidance”. Present findings are comparable to research in adult anxiety, such that women are
more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety than men, and more likely to engage in
avoidance behaviours (Bekker & van Mens-Verhulst, 2007; Kessler & Merikangas, 1994;
McLean, Asnaani, Litz, & Hofmann, 2011). However, some of the findings are inconsistent
with earlier adult studies. For example, boys use of problem solving strategies (Bahrami &
Yousefi, 2011). These results will expand the knowledge of anxiety, specifically among
younger children, and can inform the development and implementation of preventative
programming.Includes bibliographical references (pages 72-91)
gap: Genetic Analysis Package
No full textA preliminary attempt at collecting tools and utilities for genetic data as an R package called gap is described. Genomewide association is then described as a specific example, linking the work of Risch and Merikangas (1996), Long and Langley (1997) for family-based and population-based studies, and the counterpart for case-cohort design established by Cai and Zeng (2004). Analysis of staged design as outlined by Skol et al. (2006) and associate methods are discussed. The package is flexible, customizable, and should prove useful to researchers especially in its application to genomewide association studies.
Predictors of school psychologists' use of exposure interventions
No full textObjective: Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health conditions among school-aged children (Merikangas et al., 2010) and have negative consequences for youth in schools (Ingul et al., 2019; Langley et al., 2004). The school setting is an ideal venue for the provision of mental health services and presents opportunities for free and equitable access to services (Merikangas et al., 2011). Given that school psychologists are well-positioned to address mental health needs of youth (Kazak et al., 2010; Shernoff et al., 2017; Simon et al., 2015), this study examined school psychologists’ use of exposure, a highly effective but underutilized intervention for anxiety (Deacon, Farrell, et al., 2013; Freiheit et al., 2004; Kaczkurkin & Foa, 2015; van Minnen et al., 2010). The study assessed school psychologists’ patterns of knowledge, attitudes, comfort/self-efficacy, and training pertaining to exposure and investigated whether these variables influence their delivery of exposure. Method: School psychologists in the United States were anonymously surveyed online about their experience with exposure interventions. Participants were recruited through their graduate training program directors, school psychology state associations, and social media platforms. Data from 318 school psychologists were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and multiple regression. Post hoc analyses explored potential mediators of use. Results: Over 50% of school psychologists did not use exposure interventions and their related knowledge, comfort/self-efficacy, and training significantly predicted their use of exposure. Attitudes were not found to uniquely predict use of exposure. Conclusion: Efforts to improve school psychologists’ knowledge, training, and comfort/self-efficacy through graduate training will likely result in improved delivery of exposure interventions for anxious youth in schools. Implications for future training of school psychologists are discussed.Psy.D.Includes bibliographical reference
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