The present study assessed the personality characteristics of children and adolescents with anxiety disorder from a maternal perspective. A total of 48 children and adolescents aged between 8 and 17 ...years participated in this study, which was organized as follows: a clinical group (24 children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and their respective mothers) and a control group (24 children and adolescents without psychiatric diagnosis and their mothers). The participants were submitted to the WASI, CBCL, MASC-2, and EPQ-J tests and their mothers to the SRQ-20 and PIC-2 tests. The results showed higher rates of internalizing symptoms in the clinical group. In addition, patients showed less interest in hobbies, less adherence to social organizations, impairment in social activities, and commitment to school performance compared to the control group. There was a positive correlation between the mothers' symptoms and each of the following PIC-2 domains: somatic concern (
< 0.01) and psychological discomfort (
< 0.01). In conclusion, youths with AD showed a withdrawn and reserved personality profile, involving distrust of impulses and avoidance of interactions with peers. Furthermore, psychoemotional problems of mothers adversely influenced the perception followed by anxiety and adjustment characteristics. More studies are needed to assess the maternal personality in youths with anxiety.
•Comparison of neuropsychological aspects of youngsters with anxiety disorders and controls.•Youngsters with anxiety disorders have poorer performances in some neuropsychological tasks.•Youngsters ...with anxiety disorders make more errors and take more time in tasks of cognitive planning.•Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents may have a negative impact on cognitive functioning.
Anxiety disorders are associated with poor neuropsychological performance in attention and memory. However, little is known about the impact of these difficulties on other cognitive functions, such as planning. The ability to plan, including attention, working memory and set-shifting components, can be assessed by the Tower of Hanoi task (ToH). This study evaluated seventy-one participants, aged from 7–17 years. Thirty-seven subjects met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for at least one anxiety disorder and 34 individuals comprised the controls. The neuropsychological tests used were: the ToH, a problem-solving task, involves planning ability and other executive functions (working memory, attentional control and cognitive flexibility); for the assessment of processing speed and problem-solving, the Vocabulary/Matrix Reasoning subtests of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence was used to measure for estimated-IQ in both groups. The groups were compared with a generalized linear model controlling for age, IQ and ADHD comorbidity. Compared with controls, anxiety disorders subjects made more errors and required more time to complete the ToH. Children and adolescents with anxiety disorders have poorer planning ability compared to subjects without anxiety disorders, and the difficulty in planning is affected by interference from other cognitive functions, such as attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility and problems-solutions.
The present study assessed the personality characteristics of children and adolescents with anxiety disorder from a maternal perspective. A total of 48 children and adolescents aged between 8 and 17 ...years participated in this study, which was organized as follows: a clinical group (24 children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and their respective mothers) and a control group (24 children and adolescents without psychiatric diagnosis and their mothers). The participants were submitted to the WASI, CBCL, MASC-2, and EPQ-J tests and their mothers to the SRQ-20 and PIC-2 tests. The results showed higher rates of internalizing symptoms in the clinical group. In addition, patients showed less interest in hobbies, less adherence to social organizations, impairment in social activities, and commitment to school performance compared to the control group. There was a positive correlation between the mothers’ symptoms and each of the following PIC-2 domains: somatic concern (p < 0.01) and psychological discomfort (p < 0.01). In conclusion, youths with AD showed a withdrawn and reserved personality profile, involving distrust of impulses and avoidance of interactions with peers. Furthermore, psychoemotional problems of mothers adversely influenced the perception followed by anxiety and adjustment characteristics. More studies are needed to assess the maternal personality in youths with anxiety.
The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of clomipramine and fluoxetine, controlled by placebo, and compare their action in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders.
Thirty subjects ...(ages 7-17 years), who were diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and/or separation anxiety disorder and/or social phobia, were submitted to a 12 week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of clomipramine and fluoxetine. The instruments included: the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, the Children's Depression Inventory, the Clinical Global Impressions, and the Children's Global Assessment Scale.
All groups (clomipramine n=9, fluoxetine n=10, placebo n=11) showed a significant improvement after 12 weeks of treatment. There were significant differences between the fluoxetine and placebo groups in some ratings of anxiety severity and impairment. No significant differences were observed between clomipramine and placebo groups or between fluoxetine and clomipramine groups.
Treatment with placebo showed an unusual high response rate. Clomipramine showed similar efficacy compared with fluoxetine, although it was not superior to placebo.
O alto nível de ansiedade pode interferir no desempenho de diversas funções cognitivas. Nesse sentido, pessoas portadoras de transtorno de ansiedade são mais vulneráveis à presença de déficits ...cognitivos. Por meio de testagens neuropsicológicas, é possível mensurar o desempenho e, por conseguinte, descrever potenciais alterações de funções cognitivas. Estudos mostram déficits nos processos de atenção, memória e funções executivas. Uma vez que não existem dados suficientes na literatura sobre o funcionamento cognitivo de jovens com transtornos de ansiedade, objetivou-se com este estudo avaliar o funcionamento cognitivo em crianças e adolescentes com transtorno de ansiedade, pré e pós-tratamento medicamentoso. Para isso, foram estudados sujeitos (7 a 17 anos) diagnosticados com transtorno de ansiedade generalizada, transtorno de ansiedade de separação e/ou fobia social. Incluíram-se 30 portadores de ao menos um transtorno de ansiedade, avaliados antes do início do tratamento farmacológico, e 34 controles saudáveis. Dezoito sujeitos com transtornos de ansiedade foram reavaliados após terem sido aleatoriamente divididos (por meio de tabela de números aleatórios) em três grupos clomipramina (n=5), fluoxetina (n=5) e placebo (n=8) e submetidos a tratamento por um período de seis meses. Da mesma maneira, dez sujeitos do grupo controle foram reavaliados após o mesmo intervalo de tempo. Os instrumentos utilizados nas avaliações neuropsicológicas foram: \"Wechsler Abbreviated Sacale of Intelligence\", \"Trail Making Test\", \"Stroop Card Test\", \"Matching Familiar Figures Test-20\", testes de fluência verbal para letras (\"FAS\") e para categoria (\"animais\"), \"Wisconsin Card Sorting Test\", \"Torre de Hanói\", \"Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning-2\", \"Figura Complexa de Rey\". Para a avaliação de sintomas ansiosos, utilizou-se a \"Escala Multidimensional de Ansiedade para Crianças\". A partir dos dados obtidos, realizaram-se comparações estatísticas em dois momentos distintos: antes e depois do tratamento dos sujeitos diagnosticados com transtornos de ansiedade. Os resultados da avaliação pré-tratamento sugerem desempenho significativamente inferior nas atividades que medem atenção, memória visual, memória verbal e funções executivas entre sujeitos do grupo com transtorno de ansiedade em comparação ao do grupo controle. Em relação à sintomatologia ansiosa, conforme medida pela \"Escala Multidimensional de Ansiedade para Crianças\", o grupo com transtornos de ansiedade apresentou escores significativamente mais elevados que os observados entre os controles. Os resultados da avaliação pós-tratamento sugerem que, a partir de qualquer das intervenções realizadas (através de medicações ou placebo), o desempenho nos processos atencionais, mnésticos e executivos das crianças do grupo com transtorno de ansiedade melhora. Conclui-se, assim, que sintomas ansiosos nas crianças e adolescentes com transtorno de ansiedade interferem no desempenho das funções cognitivas
The high level of anxiety may interfere with the performance of various cognitive functions. Thus, people with anxiety disorders are more vulnerable to the presence of cognitive deficits. Through neuropsychological testings, it is possible to measure performance and, therefore, to describe potential changes in cognitive functions. Studies have pointed to deficits in attentional processes, memory and executive functions. Since there are insufficient data in the literature on the cognitive functioning of young people with anxiety disorders, the aim of this study is to evaluate cognitive functioning in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders, before and after pharmacological treatment. The sample consisted of subjects (7-17 years) diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder and / or social phobia. Thirty subjects with at least one anxiety disorder, assessed before the beginning of pharmacological treatment, and 34 healthy controls. Eighteen subjects with anxiety disorders were reassessed after they have been randomly assigned (by table of random numbers) into three groups clomipramine (n = 5), fluoxetine (n = 5) and placebo (n = 8) and submitted to treatment for a period of six months. Likewise, ten subjects in the control group were evaluated after the same interval of time. The instruments used in the neuropsychological tests were \"Wechsler Abbreviated Sacal of Intelligence,\" \"Trail Making Test,\" \"Card Stroop Test, Matching Familiar Figures Test-20\", tests of verbal fluency for letters (FAS) and category (animals), \"Wisconsin Card Sorting Test\", \"Tower of Hanoi\", \"Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning-2\", \"Rey Complex Figure\". For the assessment of anxiety symptoms, the \"Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children\" was utilized. From the data observed, statistical comparisons were performed at two different times: before and after treatment of subjects with diagnoses of anxiety disorders. Results from the pre-treatment evaluation suggest that subjects from the anxiety disorder group when compared to the control group showed significantly lower performance in activities that measure attention, visual memory, verbal memory and executive function. In relation to anxiety symptoms, as measured by the \"Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children\", the group with anxiety disorders had significantly higher scores than those observed among controls. Results from the post-treatment evaluation suggest that, no matter which interventions have been used (either medications or placebo), performance on attentional, memory and executives processes of the group of children with anxiety disorder improved. We, therefore, conclude that anxious symptomatology in children and adolescents with anxiety disorder interferes with the performance of cognitive functions
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