Multivariate Assessment of Inhibitory Control in Youth: Links With Psychopathology and Brain Function.

Inhibitory control is central to many theories of cognitive and brain development, and impairments in inhibitory control are posited to underlie developmental psychopathology. In this study, we tested the possibility of shared versus unique associations between inhibitory control and three common symptom dimensions in youth psychopathology: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, and irritability. We quantified inhibitory control using four different experimental tasks to estimate a latent variable in 246 youth (8-18 years old) with varying symptom types and levels. Participants were recruited from the Washington, D.C., metro region. Results of structural equation modeling integrating a bifactor model of psychopathology revealed that inhibitory control predicted a shared or general psychopathology dimension, but not ADHD-specific, anxiety-specific, or irritability-specific dimensions. Inhibitory control also showed a significant, selective association with global efficiency in a frontoparietal control network delineated during resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. These results support performance-based inhibitory control linked to resting-state brain function as an important predictor of comorbidity in youth psychopathology.

ENIGMA-anxiety working group: Rationale for and organization of large-scale neuroimaging studies of anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and disabling but seem particularly tractable to investigation with translational neuroscience methodologies. Neuroimaging has informed our understanding of the neurobiology of anxiety disorders, but research has been limited by small sample sizes and low statistical power, as well as heterogenous imaging methodology. The ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group has brought together researchers from around the world, in a harmonized and coordinated effort to address these challenges and generate more robust and reproducible findings. This paper elaborates on the concepts and methods informing the work of the working group to date, and describes the initial approach of the four subgroups studying generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. At present, the ENIGMA-Anxiety database contains information about more than 100 unique samples, from 16 countries and 59 institutes. Future directions include examining additional imaging modalities, integrating imaging and genetic data, and collaborating with other ENIGMA working groups. The ENIGMA consortium creates synergy at the intersection of global mental health and clinical neuroscience, and the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group extends the promise of this approach to neuroimaging research on anxiety disorders.

Mega-analysis methods in ENIGMA: The experience of the generalized anxiety disorder working group.

The ENIGMA group on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (ENIGMA-Anxiety/GAD) is part of a broader effort to investigate anxiety disorders using imaging and genetic data across multiple sites worldwide. The group is actively conducting a mega-analysis of a large number of brain structural scans. In this process, the group was confronted with many methodological challenges related to study planning and implementation, between-country transfer of subject-level data, quality control of a considerable amount of imaging data, and choices related to statistical methods and efficient use of resources. This report summarizes the background information and rationale for the various methodological decisions, as well as the approach taken to implement them. The goal is to document the approach and help guide other research groups working with large brain imaging data sets as they develop their own analytic pipelines for mega-analyses.

Phasic Versus Tonic Irritability and Associations with Family Accommodation Among Youth with Selective Mutism: A Latent Profile Analysis.

Clinical presentations of selective mutism (SM) vary widely across affected youth. Although studies have explored general externalizing problems in youth with SM, research has not specifically examined patterns of irritability. Relatedly, research has not considered how affected families differentially accommodate the anxiety of youth with SM as a function of the child's temper outbursts (i.e., phasic irritability) and general angry mood (i.e., tonic irritability). Data were drawn from a sample of treatment-seeking children and adolescents with a primary diagnosis of selective mutism (N = 152; Mean age = 6.12 years; 67.11% female), and their caregivers. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify distinct profiles in SM youth that were characterized by varying levels of phasic and/or tonic irritability. Analyses further examined whether these different profiles were associated with different levels of family accommodation and global impairment. LPA identified 5 profiles: SM with No irritability, SM with Low Phasic Irritability, SM with High Phasic Irritability, SM with High Phasic and Moderate Tonic Irritability, and SM with High Phasic and High Tonic Irritability. Patterns of family accommodation and global impairment were highest among youth belonging to profiles characterized by high phasic irritability. Findings highlight separable patterns of irritability across youth with SM, with phasic irritability (i.e., temper outbursts) appearing particularly linked with increased family accommodation and overall global impairment. Assessing phasic irritability is critical for optimizing treatment in youth with SM and can be useful for flagging possible patterns of family accommodation contributing to overall impairment.

Systematic Review: Questionnaire-Based Measurement of Emotion Dysregulation in Children and Adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Emotion dysregulation, understood as a critical transdiagnostic factor in the etiology and maintenance of psychopathology, is among the most common reasons youth are referred for psychiatric care. The present systematic review examined 2 decades of questionnaires used to assess emotion (dys)regulation in youth. METHOD: Using "emotion (dys)regulation," PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched for empirical, peer-reviewed journal studies published before May 2021 in clinical and/or nonclinical youth. A total of 510 studies met selection criteria and were included. RESULTS: Across the literature, 115 distinct self-, parent-, or other informant-reported measures of emotion (dys)regulation were used in cross-sectional (67.1%), longitudinal (22.4%), intervention (9.0%), and mixed design (1.6%) studies. Out of 115 different questionnaires, a subset of 5 measures of emotion (dys)regulation were used in most of the literature (ie, 59.6% of studies). Moreover, reviewed studies examined emotion (dys)regulation in more than 20 distinct clinical groups, further supporting emotion dysregulation as a transdiagnostic construct. CONCLUSION: Numerous themes emerged. Broadly, measures differed in their ability to capture internal vs external components of emotion dysregulation, the use of adaptive vs maladaptive responses, and subjective experiences more broadly vs particular affective states. These findings serve to guide researchers and clinicians in selecting appropriate measurement tools for assessing specific domains of child and adolescent emotion dysregulation.

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pediatric and parent-proxy short forms for anxiety: Psychometric properties in the Kids FACE FEARS sample.

There is tremendous need for brief and supported, non-commercial youth- and caregiver-report questionnaires of youth anxiety. The pediatric and parent proxy short forms of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anxiety scale (8a v2.0) are free, brief, publicly accessible measures of youth- and caregiver-reported anxiety in children and adolescents. Despite increased use of the PROMIS, no study has evaluated performance of its anxiety scales in a sample of treatment-engaged anxious youth. Analyses were conducted on baseline data from the first 265 families (child MAge=11.14 years, 70% racial/ethnic minoritized youth) to enroll in the Kids FACE FEARS trial, a multisite comparative effectiveness trial of therapist-led vs. self-administered treatment for elevated youth anxiety. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) examined factor structure; omega coefficients and regression models examined internal consistency, convergent validity, and cross-informant reliability. CFA supported adjusted single-factor solutions across youth and caregiver reports, and internal consistency was high. Convergent validity was supported by medium-to-large associations with anxiety-related impairment and severity. Moderate cross-informant reliability between reports was found. Results showcase the first psychometric study of the PROMIS Anxiety scale short forms among treatment-engaged youth with elevated anxiety. Findings highlight the PROMIS Anxiety scale's utility in typical care settings for youth anxiety.

A 25-Year Review of Nighttime Fears in Children: Past, Present, and Future.

Nighttime fears in children are common, interfere with daily functioning, and result in considerable disruption in the family. The aim of the present review was to examine empirical literature from the past 25 years that investigated the assessment of nighttime fears in young children and the efficacy and effectiveness of psychosocial treatments for children's nighttime fears. The last review of this literature was in 1997 and examined studies conducted in and prior to 1995 (King et al. in Clin Psychol Rev 17:431-443, 1997). Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of the literature aimed at providing a synthesis of the Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) and controlled single-case multiple baseline design studies (MBLs) on the treatment of nighttime fears in children. A search of the literature identified 12 articles, with nine studies utilizing a between-group randomized controlled trial design and three studies utilizing a multiple baseline design. Results demonstrated significant improvements in children's nighttime fears and reductions in disruptive nighttime behaviors using behavioral interventions and cognitive-behavioral strategies. This review provides a commentary on the effectiveness and limitations of the assessment and treatment approaches for nighttime fears in children and suggests directions for future research.

Phasic Versus Tonic Irritability: Differential Associations With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: Irritability is a multifaceted construct in pediatric psychopathology. It has been conceptualized as having a phasic dimension and a tonic dimension. Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder is defined by the presence of both dimensions. Severe irritability, or disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, is highly comorbid with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, it is unknown whether the presence of ADHD modulates the expression of phasic and tonic irritability. METHOD: A data-driven, latent variable approach was used to examine irritability and ADHD symptoms in a transdiagnostic pediatric sample (N = 489) with primary disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, ADHD, subclinical irritability symptoms, or no diagnosis. Using latent profile analyses, we identified 4 classes: high levels of both irritability and ADHD symptoms, high levels of irritability and moderate levels of ADHD symptoms, moderate levels of irritability and high levels of ADHD symptoms, and low levels of both irritability and ADHD symptoms. Confirmatory factor analysis operationalized phasic irritability and tonic irritability. RESULTS: As expected, the 2 latent classes characterized by high overall irritability exhibited the highest levels of both phasic and tonic irritability. However, between these 2 high irritability classes, highly comorbid ADHD symptoms were associated with significantly greater phasic irritability than were moderately comorbid ADHD symptoms. In contrast, the 2 high irritability groups did not differ on levels of tonic irritability. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that phasic, but not tonic, irritability has a significant association with ADHD symptoms and that phasic and tonic might be distinct, though highly related, irritability dimensions. Future research should investigate potential mechanisms underlying this differential association.

Cardiovascular reactivity as a measure of irritability in a transdiagnostic sample of youth: Preliminary associations.

OBJECTIVES: Irritability is a transdiagnostic symptom in developmental psychopathology, conceptualized as a low threshold for frustration and increased proneness to anger. While central to emotion regulation, there is a vital need for empirical studies to explore the relationship between irritability and underlying physiological mechanisms of cardiovascular arousal. METHODS: We examined the relationship between irritability and cardiovascular arousal (i.e., heart rate [HR] and heart rate variability [HRV]) in a transdiagnostic sample of 51 youth (M = 12.63 years, SD = 2.25; 62.7% male). Data was collected using the Empatica E4 during a laboratory stop-signal task. In addition, the impact of motion activity, age, medication, and sleep on cardiovascular responses was explored. RESULTS: Main findings showed that irritability was associated with increased HR and decreased HRV during task performance. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the role of peripheral physiological dysregulation in youth with emotion regulation problems and suggest the potential use of available wearable consumer electronics as an objective measure of irritability and physiological arousal in a transdiagnostic sample of youth.