Association between morningness-eveningness and behavioral/emotional problems among adolescents

Adolescent eveningness is associated with age, parental monitoring, daytime sleepiness, sleep problems, moodiness, and the use of coffee. This study investigated the association between adolescent morningness-eveningness and psychopathology, substance use, and suicidality in 1332 students ages 12 to 13. Each student-participant completed the Chinese version of the Child Morningness/Eveningness Scale (CMES), the Pubertal Development Scale, and a questionnaire about their sleep schedule, trouble sleeping, habitual substance use, and suicidality. Their mothers completed the Child Behavioral Checklist and Chinese Health Questionnaire. The morning (n = 412), intermediate (n = 740), and evening (n = 180) groups were operationally defined by the CMES t scores. The mixed model was used for data analysis. The evening group had shorter weekday sleep time, longer weekend sleep time, more daytime napping, and greater sleep compensation on weekends and was more likely than the other 2 groups to have behavioral/emotional problems, suicidality, and habitual substance use. Internalizing and externalizing problems partially explained the association between eveningness, substance use, and suicidality. The findings suggest that eveningness may be an indicator for adolescents with behavioral/emotional problems and risky behaviors and suggest an investigation for possible intervention.     

Comparison of self-reported and parent-reported emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents from Croatia

The first goal of this study was to obtain, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Youth Self-Report (YSR) problem-scales data for youths in Croatia, and compare them to the original American sample. The second goal of this study was to compare boys -girls problem scales data and CBCL-YSR differences. The instruments were administered to school adolescents aged between 12-18 comprising a non-referred sample (n=611) drawn from the whole country. Youths, compared to their parents, rated higher scores in all scales in both sexes (p < 0.001). According to parents' reports boys had higher scores in more scales (five out of eleven). According to adolescents'self-reports girls had higher scores in more scales (seven out of eleven). Consistent with other studies, Croatian sample confirmed a larger number of serious behavioral and emotional problems reported by adolescents. Adolescents were confirmed as the most reliable informants on their problems.     

Biological rhythm and emotional and behavioral problems among schoolchildren in Southern Brazil

Emotional and behavioral problems have been considered an indicative of mental disorder in children. Mental health problems affect 10–20% of children and adolescents living in low-income and middle-income countries. Evidence suggests that disruptions in the biological rhythm may be a primary cause of emotional and behavioral changes, which affects several psychological functions and moods. Thus, this study aimed at verifying the association between biological rhythm and emotional and behavioral problems in schoolchildren living in Southern Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study with a school-based sample conducted between August 2015 and November 2016. The presence of emotional and behavioral problems in children was verified by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), parents’ version. This is a 25-item assessment questionnaire used to screen mental health problems in children and adolescents (from 4 to 17 years of age) in the last 6 months. The Biological Rhythm Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry-Kids (BRIAN-K) was used to measure the degree of biological rhythm disruption. The BRIAN-K consists of 20 items; from among these, 17 items are added to generate a quantitative measure, with greater scores indicating more biological rhythm disruption. The final score can also be divided into four subscales: sleep, social rhythm, eating pattern and overall activities. A total of 609 children responded to the assessment instruments. With regard to parents or primary caregiver, 596 completed the assessment and 13 (2%) were not located or refused to participate in the study. Thus, 596 dyads were included in the analysis. Children with emotional and behavioral problems presented higher scores in all domains of BRIAN-K: sleep, social, activity, eating pattern and total score (p < 0.001). The following variables remained associated with emotional and behavioral problems after adjusted analysis: BRIAN-K total score (p < 0.001) and all subscales sleep (p < 0.001), social (p < 0.001), activity (p < 0.001) and eating pattern (p < 0.001). Children with emotional and behavioral problems presented higher biological rhythm disruption when compared with children without emotional and behavioral problems. Our study emphasizes the importance of biological rhythm and its influence on emotional and behavioral problems in schoolchildren. Early detection of any biological rhythm disruption may enhance further assessment of any eventual emotional and behavioral problem and even a psychopathology.     

Oral health awareness in Croatian and Italian urban adolescents

Purpose of this study was to investigate and compare differences in oral health awareness between Croatian and Italian urban adolescents. The sample consisted of primary school last grade students aged between 13 and 15 years, 300 children from Zagreb (Croatia) and 298 children from Bari (Italy). Oral health awareness was evaluated using a self-administered standardized questionnaire. Self-perception of oral health proved to be different between the two groups (p < 0.001). The Croatians reported that their oral health was "excellent" or "very-good" more often than the Italians (68.6% vs. 50.2%). The reasons given for visiting a dentist were different (p < 0.001). The Italians cleaned their teeth more often than the Croatians ("two or more times a day", 83.1% vs. 72.2%, p < 0.003). Wooden toothpicks were preferred by the Croatians (p < 0.001), while floss was preferred by the Italians (p = 0.03). The awareness regarding the use of fluoridated toothpaste was higher in the Italian group (95.6% vs. 72.5%, p < 0.001). The Croatians were consuming sweetened foods more often than the Italians (p < 0.001). Croatian adolescents reported more indicators of a lower level of oral health awareness than the Italians, while on the contrary Croatians had higher esteem of their oral health. Defining national preventive strategies is essential for improving adolescents' attitudes toward oral health in both countries, particularly in Croatia.     

Early sexual intercourse and risk factors in Croatian adolescents

Sexual behaviour in adolescence is a sensitive issue and has possible immediate and long term medical and psychical consequences. The aim of the study was to examine whether early sexual intercourse varies by gender and how is associated with unhealthy behaviour and factors of psycho-social well-being. 773 boys and 857 girls of 15.5 years old, included in a representative national school-based survey, conducted in Croatia in 2006, were invited to fill in anonymous questionnaires. Sexual experience before the age of 16 years was reported by 28.6% of the boys and 16.5% of the girls. Early sexual experience in boys was associated with smoking, drinking of alcohol, marijuana taking, physical fighting, and bullying other The odds ratio was highest for smoking. (OR:8. 1; CI:5.4-12. 1). For girls the same variables were associated with the early sexual intercourse, marijuana use being the strongest independent predictor (OR:8.0; CI:5.0-12.6). While controlled for other behaviours, daily smoking remained the strongest predictor for both genders. Girls who had early sexual experience were more prone to be dissatisfied with their health (OR:2.9; CI:2.0-4.2), with their life (OR:2.1; CI:1.4-3.0), communication with father and mother (OR:1.9; CI:1.2-2.8 and OR:1. 7; CI:1.1-2.6) and reported more psychosomatic symptoms (OR:2.9; CI:2.0-4.3). For both genders odds were higher if they had good communication with the friend of the opposite gender. Evenings spent out with friends were associated to early sexual experience in boys and girls as well as poorer school achievement. Early menarche was associated with the probability of being engaged in the early sexual intercourse and with smoking, marijuana use and psychosomatic symptoms. Early sexual intercourse is associated with unhealthy behaviour such as smoking, substance abuse, aggressiveness and lower psychosocial well-being. Preventive educational programmes should follow multi-facet approaches and recognize differences between boys and girls. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination could be part of a comprehensive approach and is not to be viewed as an isolated activity.     

Pain perception in relation to emotional learning

Noninvasive brain imaging has established the participation of the cortex in pain perception and identified a long list of brain structures involved. More recent studies show the interaction between clinical chronic pain conditions and the reorganization of the brain functionally, anatomically, and chemically. Mechanisms underlying this reorganization hint to essential links between pain, especially its affective component with emotional learning and memory. This review is a discussion of the rationale and evidence for the interaction between these modalities, emphasizing underlying mechanisms.     

Individual behavioral and autonomic response to emotional stress in humans

Healthy subjects (n = 53) performed a sound version of the proof-reading test under normal conditions and in the state of emotional stress. Stress resistance was evaluated by the overall number of errors. The propensity to active or passive response to stress was evaluated by the number of "false alarms" and signal omissions. The reaction pattern to emotional stress in stress-resistant subjects, irrespective of their behavioral features, consisted in an increase in sympathetic effects on the cardiac rhythm and a decrease in the reaction time to significant signals. In subjects with low stress resistance, no statistically significant changes in the level of sympathetic tone and reaction time were revealed in the state of stress. Subjects with active behavioral response to stress, irrespective of their level of stress resistance, were characterized by aggressiveness, boldness and independence. Subjects with passive response to stress were inclined to conformism, dependence, and passivity.     

Cumulative incidence of self-reported diabetes in Croatian adult population in relation to socioeconomic status and lifestyle habits

The aim of this study was to determine the 5-year cumulative incidence of self-reported diabetes mellitus in relation to various socioeconomic and lifestyle factors in Croatian adult population. The analysis included 2909 participants of the Croatian Health Cohort Study (CroHort) aged 20-79 years (median 55, interquartile range 43-67; 69% women) with no history of diabetes. There were 163 new cases of diabetes (5-year cumulative incidence 5.6%), without significant differences according to sex. Significant predictors of diabetes were age, body mass index, waist and hip circumference in bivariate logistic regression, and being married or living in partnership (OR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.08-2.28; p = 0.018), body mass index (OR =1.11, 95% CI 1.07-1.14; p < 0.001) and age (OR = 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03; p = 0.004) in multivariate model. Our results indicate that approximately 1% of the Croatian adult population develops diabetes each year. Association of living in partnership with higher diabetes incidence requires further investigation.     

Reproductive and sexual behavioral problems in dogs

This paper reviews the influence of genetics on canine sexual behavior, the causes of common sexual and reproductive behavioral problems in dogs as well as treatment approaches, including environmental management, behavior modification, and pharmacological intervention.     

Learning in rats with differing emotional responsiveness and its relation to brain monoamines

The ability for learning was studied in two groups of Wistar line rats divided by susceptibility to the audiogenic stress-stimulation as compared with the monoamines level in various brain structures. The best ability to learn avoidance reaction in a shuttlebox was shown by animals non-resistant to the stress stimulus as compared with the resistant rats, which correlated positively with the exploratory activity in "the open field". The distinct feature of the animals non-resistant to the stress stimulation consisted in a higher reactivity of the monoamine systems, mainly of the noradrenergic system. This group of animals was also characterized by a higher dopamine content and a lower noradrenaline content in the brain-stem. Decreased activity of the brain dopamine-beta-hydroxylase in animals non-resistant to the stress stimulus, has been suggested.     

Correlation of sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression in Croatian war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder

The aim of the study was to examine the relationships between global sleep quality and its specific components and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptom severity questionnaire. We also researched whether sleep quality and sleep disturbances differed among groups of PTSD based on symptom severity categories. This study was conducted on the sample of 120 Croatian war veterans with PTSD. The following self-report instruments were used: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Addendum for PTSD, the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD, the Spielberger State and Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory. There were statistically significant differences between the three PTSD severity groups on general nervousness (PSQI-A variable), where patients with extremely severe PTSD have more symptoms of general nervousness than groups with severe or moderate PTSD. Differences were found between PTSD severity groups in episodes of terror and acting-out dreams, where patients with extremely severe PTSD have more symptoms of episodes of terror and acting-out dreams than groups with severe or moderate PTSD. Sleep quality was significantly correlated with state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression, indicating that with decrease of anxiety and depression, sleep quality improves. Sleep latency was positively correlated with both state and trait anxiety. There wasn't any significant correlation between sleep latency and depression. Study suggests that sleep disturbances are equally severe across groups of veterans based on PTSD severity and that the severity of sleep disturbances is significantly related to severity of anxiety and depression symptoms.     

Effects of methyl-eugenol administration on behavioral models related to depression and anxiety, in rats

Croton zehntneri (Cz) is a popular plant in Brazilian folk medicine. Recently, the use of its essential oil showed depressive activity response in the central nervous system (CNS). Chemical studies show that the main compound of this oil is the methyl-eugenol (ME). This work seeks to evaluate the ME activity in behavioral models of depression and anxiety, in the rat. Male rats (60 days old) were divided into four groups (n = 10) and treated with doses of 1.0, 3.0 and 10.0 ml/100 g body wt., v.o., of ME (experimental) and saline (control). One hour after treatment, they were observed in the forced swimming test and 15 min later in the open-field test. A decrease was observed in the immobility time during the forced swimming test for all experimental groups, in comparison with control group (C = 168.8 +/- 27.3; 1.0 microl = 139.1 +/- 23.5; 3.0 microl = 137.2 +/- 18.7 and 10.0 microl = 139.8 +/- 23.6). The open-field results showed no differences in comparison to the control group. The same was observed for social interaction, plus-maze and holeboard tests, suggesting no alterations in anxiety behavior. These data suggest that ME administration induced antidepressive CNS alterations, expressed by the smallest immobility in the swimming model, and not of a level able to alter motor and exploratory activity in the open-field. The absence of effects observed in the open-field can be a result of the experimental contingency, taking low anxiety levels. These data are in contradiction to observations with Cz essential oil in these models.     

Inbreeding and susceptibility to osteoporosis in Croatian island isolates

The aim of this study was to investigate a recessive genetic component in susceptibility to osteoporosis (OP) by comparing its prevalence in isolated villages of three Croatian islands: Brac, Hvar and Korcula with different levels of inbreeding. A random sample of 20-30% adults from 14 villages was obtained, including a total of 1,389 examinees. The average inbreeding coefficient (F) of examinees from each village population was estimated using Wright's path method (based on genealogical information). The morphometry of the metacarpal bones was performed on hand-wrist radiographs of both hands in all examinees. OP was defined as values of cortical index smaller than 2 standard deviations based on distribution of values in examinees of the same sex under 45 years of age. Mean values of cortical index (CI) and prevalence of OP (both standardized by age and weighted for the sample size) in each village were correlated to the mean inbreeding coefficient (F). The coefficient of correlation (r) between F values and CI was -0.28 in males (p = 0.08) and -0.42 in females (p = 0.005), and between F and OP prevalence 0.32 in males (p < 0.001) and 0.43 in females (p < 0.001). These results indicate a trend of increased susceptibility to osteoporosis with increasing level of inbreeding in isolated communities of Croatian islands.