Teen Girls React to Parental Rejection
Aggressive behavior in adolescents may be fueled in part by the depression associated with perceived parental rejection, said William W. Hale III, Ph.D., of Utrecht (the Netherlands) University and his colleagues.
In a study of 1,329 students aged 10–19 years, the investigators assessed aggressive and withdrawn behaviors with a 23-item questionnaire (J. Adolesc. Health 2005;36:466–74). Overall, significant associations appeared between perceived parental rejection and both aggression and depression.
When the population was divided into subgroups, the association between perceived parental rejection and depression was statistically significant for younger girls (aged 10–14 years) and older girls (aged 15–19 years) but not for boys, and the association was statistically significant for the older girls, compared with all other subgroups. Rejection did not appear to have a significant impact on depression or aggression in the subgroups of older or younger boys. The differences might reflect girls' stronger orientation towards interpersonal relationships, the investigators noted.
Adderall XR Effective Over Long Term
A once-daily dose of mixed amphetamine salts (Adderall XR) maintained improvement of ADHD symptoms in children aged 6–12 years during a 24-month period, said James J. McGough, M.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, and his colleagues.
In a multicenter, open-label extension of two placebo-controlled studies that included 568 children, those who had been off treatment between studies as well as those who had received continuous treatment maintained their statistically significant improvements from baseline (J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 2005;44:530–8). The study consisted of 28 clinic visits–weekly for the first 4 weeks, followed by monthly visits–and the investigators measured effectiveness using the 10-item Conners Global Index Scale. The mean dosage ranged from 20–22 mg/day. The medication was well tolerated, with mild adverse effects.
Substance Use and School Sports
In a cross-sectional study of 891 8th grade students in northeastern Florida, there was no consistent protective effect between any specific sport and substance use, said Michele J. Moore, Ph.D., of the University of North Florida, Jacksonville.
Seven specific sports and activities–school-sponsored football, swimming, and wrestling and out-of-school dancing/cheerleading/gymnastics, skateboarding, surfing, and tennis–were associated with increased odds of alcohol or drug use in one or both genders (J. Adolesc. Health 2005;36:486–93).
On the other hand, participation in four other activities–school-sponsored dance/cheerleading/gymnastics and out-of-school basketball, rollerblading, and swimming–was associated with decreased odds of alcohol or drug use in one or both genders. The results may help explain previous contradictory findings about sports and substance use, the investigators noted.
Perceived Weight Prompts Suicide
Adolescents who perceived themselves to be very underweight (5th percentile or less), slightly underweight (6th–15th percentile), slightly overweight (85th–94th percentile), or very overweight (95th percentile or greater) were significantly more likely to experience suicidal ideation than those who thought their weight was appropriate, said Danice K. Eaton, Ph.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and her colleagues.
In an analysis of data on 13,601 students in grades 9–12 from the national 2001 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the adjusted odds ratios for suicidal ideation were 2.29, 1.36, 1.33, and 2.50 for students who perceived themselves to be very underweight, slightly underweight, slightly overweight, and very overweight, respectively (Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med. 2005;159:513–9).
Methylphenidate Patch Shows Promise
A methylphenidate transdermal system used for 3 months yielded improvement in ADHD symptoms similar to those achieved with standard methylphenidate, said William E. Pelham, Ph.D., of the State University of New York at Buffalo, and his colleagues.
In a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, dose-ranging study sponsored in part by Noven Pharmaceuticals Inc., 33 boys and 3 girls aged 6–13 years wore a patch with one of three doses–6.25 cm