Physiological Dysregulation in Children With and Without Externalizing Difficulties: Novel Insights From Intensive Longitudinal Data.

Extant research on physiological dysregulation in children has focused on point-in-time measures and absolute mean levels of physiology. However, these methods do not capture dynamic fluctuations in physiology that characterize dysregulation. In the present work, we aimed to assess whether physiological dysregulation as captured by fluctuations rather than mean levels would differentiate between children with and without clinically elevated levels of externalizing behavior. As an exploratory approach, we examined fluctuations in children's physiological responses (i.e., root mean square of successive differences [RMSSD] in beat-to-beat heart rate intervals) to social transgression scenarios across 15 short-term measurement occasions (5-second bins). Controlling for mean RMSSD, as well as emotional and cognitive correlates of externalizing behavior (i.e., sympathy and inhibitory control), children with externalizing difficulties exhibited greater within-person fluctuations in RMSSD (i.e., physiological dysregulation) compared to children without externalizing difficulties. The present findings provide preliminary support for using intensive longitudinal data comprised of short-term physiological measurements and point to the centrality of within-child physiological variability as a marker of dysregulation, particularly amongst children with externalizing disorders for whom self-regulation is a core challenge.

An EEG Investigation of the Attention-Related Impact of Mindfulness Training in Youth With ADHD: Outcomes and Methodological Considerations.

OBJECTIVE: The current study examined the impact of an activity-based mindfulness treatment on EEG indices of attention in youth with ADHD aged 11 to 17 years compared with a waitlist control group. METHOD: Pre- and post-treatment, EEG was recorded as participants completed a single-point focus rest task and two active attention tasks. Theta power, beta power, and theta/beta ratio (TBR) were calculated during each task. RESULTS: A significant group by time by task interaction was found that indicated significant improvement in attentional ability, indexed by decreased TBR, for the treatment group but not controls. CONCLUSION: Findings support the benefit of mindfulness treatment for enhancing attentional control in youth with ADHD and extend the literature by providing evidence of these gains at a neural level. Findings also offer methodological support for the use of active attention tasks when examining mindfulness-related attentional gains in youth with ADHD. Directions for future research are discussed.

Are media literacy interventions effective at changing attitudes and intentions towards risky health behaviors in adolescents? A meta-analytic review.

Youth are inundated with media products promoting risky health behaviors (RHBs), including substance use and risky sexual activity. Media literacy interventions emphasize critical media consumption to decrease RHBs. However, it is unclear whether they positively influence attitudes and behavioral intentions towards RHBs. We conducted meta-analyses of 15 studies (N = 5000) testing intervention effectiveness on media literacy skills and 20 studies (N = 9177) testing effectiveness on attitudes and intentions towards RHBs. We found positive effects on media literacy skills (Hedge's g = .417, [95% CI, .29-.54]) and attitudes and intentions (Hedge's g = .100 [95% CI, .01-.19]). Intervention medium and target behavior moderated intervention success on attitudes and intentions, but no moderators emerged for media literacy skills. These interventions produce positive effects on media literacy skills and positive but smaller effects on attitudes and behavioral intentions, depending on medium and target behaviour. Implications for adolescent health initiatives are discussed.