Self-Reported Anxiety Ratings in Children With and Without Food Allergies and Teacher Knowledge of Food Allergies.

BACKGROUND: Researchers have found a relationship between having food allergies and anxiety in children. Anxiety may relate to others' lack of food allergy knowledge. This study investigated the relationship between having a food allergy and self-reported anxiety among children. Furthermore, knowledge of food allergies among children without food allergies and teachers was explored. METHODS: Children with food allergies and their parents each completed a perceived food allergy severity questionnaire. Children without food allergies completed a food allergy knowledge measure. All children completed a self-reported anxiety measure. Teachers completed a questionnaire investigating knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about food allergies. Correlational analyses and analyses of variance were conducted. RESULTS: Overall anxiety was significantly higher in children with food allergies than in children without food allergies. When controlling for the effects of sex and age, children with food allergies had significantly higher social phobia and school phobia. Teachers correctly answered 69.7% of knowledge-based questions about food allergies; children without food allergies correctly answered 62.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the need for an integrated approach in which families, school personnel, psychologists and other mental health professionals, and medical professionals work together to increase awareness about the multifaceted needs of children with food allergies.

The parent-rated social skills of a sample of New York City preschool children 8-10 months after September 11, 2001.

This study compared the Social Skills Rating System-Preschool Parent Version ratings of two groups of New York City preschool children 8-10 months after September 11, 2001. One group of children was within 1 mile (1.61 km) of the World Trade Center (WTC) during the attack and exposed to one or more traumatic events. The second group was 2.04 to 14 miles (3.28-22.54 km) away from the WTC and not exposed to traumatic events. The social skills ratings of the comparison groups did not significantly differ These outcomes were consistent after statistically adjusting for the potentially confounding influence of parental PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms.

A comparative analysis of family adaptability and cohesion ratings among traumatized urban youth.

OBJECTIVE: Given the need to identify psychological risk factors among traumatized youth, this study examined the family functioning of traumatized youth with or without PTSD and a nonclinical sample. METHOD: The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, second edition (FACES II; Olson, Portner, & Bell, 1982), scores of youth with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; n = 29) were compared with the scores of trauma-exposed youth without PTSD (n = 48) and a nontraumatized comparison group (n = 44). Child diagnostic interviews determined that all participants were free of major comorbid disorders. RESULTS: The FACES II scores of the participants with PTSD were not significantly different from the scores of trauma-exposed youth without PTSD and the nontraumatized comparison group. FACES II scores were also not significantly different between the trauma-exposed youth without PTSD and the nontraumatized comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: PTSD and trauma-exposure without PTSD were not associated with variations in the perception of family functioning as measured by the FACES II. (PsycINFO Database Record

Posttraumatic stress disorder: memory and learning performance in children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Despite the wealth of information in adult posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) literature, few studies have explored the memory and learning performance of trauma-exposed youth. This study examined if memory deficits are associated with PTSD or with trauma exposure in the absence of PTSD. METHODS: Youth exposed to traumatic incidents underwent clinical interviews to diagnose PTSD and exclude major comorbid disorders. Youth with conditions that could impede performance on a memory scale (e.g., limited intellectual functioning, current substance abuse, psychopharmacological treatment) were excluded. Three groups of participants were identified (PTSD positives [n = 29], traumatized PTSD negatives [n = 62], and nontraumatized control subjects [n = 40]). Participants completed the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML). RESULTS: Youth with PTSD evidenced significantly lower scores on the WRAML General Memory, Verbal Memory, and Learning indices compared with nontraumatized control subjects. With the exception of Verbal Memory, youth with and without PTSD performed comparably on all other indices. Nonsignificant differences were noted on the Visual Memory Index. CONCLUSIONS: General memory and verbal memory impairments as evidenced in adult populations were observed among this sample of youth. Given the developmental trajectory of memory capabilities, the implications of such early trauma exposure and memory deficits are considered.

The intellectual performance of traumatized children and adolescents with or without posttraumatic stress disorder.

This study compared the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) scores of traumatized youth with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the scores of trauma-exposed and nonexposed comparison groups without PTSD. All groups were free of additional major childhood psychiatric disorders. The PTSD group scored significantly lower than the comparison groups on verbal subtests, but not on performance subtests. The scores of the trauma-exposed PTSD negatives and nontrauma exposed controls were not significantly different. Accordingly, PTSD and not a history of trauma exposure in the absence of PTSD was associated with lower verbal IQ.

The parent ratings of traumatized children with or without PTSD.

Two clinical and 2 structured clinical interviews were used to identify children with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatized children without PTSD, and nontraumatized controls. Parents evaluated child conduct by marking the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-48 (CPRS-48; Conners, 1989). Data analysis indicated that the CPRS-48 Total scores and the Anxiety and Psychosomatic subscales scores of the PTSD group significantly exceeded the scores of the comparison groups. Children with PTSD and traumatized children without PTSD did not significantly differ on the Hyperactivity Index. The Hyperactivity Index scores of traumatized children without PTSD and nontraumatized controls were not significantly different. Nonsignificant differences were observed between groups on the CPRS-48 Impulsivity-Hyperactivity, Conduct Problems, and Learning subscales. Overall, PTSD was marked by higher internalizing scores and trauma exposure without PTSD was not associated with increased psychological morbidity.

An analysis of the internalizing and externalizing behaviors of traumatized urban youth with and without PTSD.

To test the differential validity of the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) classification, 3 groups of youths (PTSD, traumatized PTSD negatives, and controls) were examined. Youth with major comorbid disorders were excluded. On the basis of an analysis of parent-derived Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) ratings, significant variations in CBCL scores were associated with PTSD but not with exposure to exceptional stress in the absence of PTSD. The results also indicated that traumatic exposure without the development of PTSD was not associated with higher estimates of psychopathology.

The self-concept of traumatized children and adolescents with or without PTSD.

This study compared the Piers-Harris 2 scores of youth with PTSD (n=30) to the scores of traumatized youth without PTSD (n=60) and a non-traumatized comparison group (n=39). In the absence of major comorbid disorders, youth with PTSD evidenced significantly lower scores than the traumatized PTSD negatives and controls on five of six Piers-Harris 2 scales. With the exception of scores on an index of perceived parental acceptance of child behavior, trauma exposure in the absence of PTSD was not associated with lower Piers-Harris 2 scores.