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Background The enduring impact of childhood maltreatment on biological systems and ensuing psychopathology remains incompletely understood. Long-term effects of stress may be reflected in cumulative cortisol secretion over several months, which is now quantifiable via hair cortisol concentrations (HCC). We conducted a first comprehensive investigation utilizing the potential of hair cortisol analysis in a large sample of maltreated and nonmaltreated children and adolescents. Method Participants included 537 children and adolescents (3 to 16 years; 272 females) with maltreatment (n = 245) or without maltreatment histories (n = 292). Maltreated subjects were recruited from child protection services (CPS; n = 95), youth psychiatric services (n = 56), and the community (n = 94). Maltreatment was coded using the Maltreatment Classification System drawing on caregiver interviews and complemented with CPS records. Caregivers and teachers reported on child mental health. HCC were assessed in the first 3 cm hair-segment. Results Analyses uniformly supported that maltreatment coincides with a gradual and dose-dependent reduction of HCC from 9-10 years onwards relative to nonmaltreated controls. This pattern emerged consistently from both group-comparisons between maltreated and nonmaltreated subjects (27.6% HCC reduction in maltreated 9 to 16-year-olds) and dimensional analyses within maltreated subjects, with lower HCC related to greater maltreatment chronicity and number of subtypes. Moreover, both group comparisons and dimensional analyses within maltreated youth revealed that relative HCC reduction mediates the effect of maltreatment on externalizing symptoms. Conclusions From middle childhood onwards, maltreatment coincides with a relative reduction of cortisol secretion, which, in turn, may predispose to externalizing symptoms.

We presented three types of animations on an eye tracking monitor to 31 adult participants. In line with previous work, verbal descriptions of these animations indicate that one type (theory of mind or ToM) evokes mental state attributions, while another type (random) does not, with an intermediate category (goal-directed) evoking a moderate amount of mental state attributions. We expected longer fixations with greater depth of processing, which we assume is required for mental state attributions. In line with this expectation we found that the ToM animations invited long fixations; the random animations invited short fixations, while the goal-directed animations invited an intermediate amount of fixations, with some clips inviting shorter and others longer fixations. These findings demonstrate that it is possible to capture systematic differences in behaviour while viewing animations not only by means of a verbal measure, but also in terms of a simple measure of eye movements.

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is an internationally recognized and widely used screening instrument consisting of 25 items that address positive and negative behavioral attributes of children and adolescents. This paper investigates some of the psychometric properties of the German parent-rated SDQ examining preschool-age children. The sample consisted of 1,738 children – 840 girls and 898 boys – between 3 and 5 years of age. Parents completed the SDQ and gave basic demographical information. All subscales were sufficiently homogeneous. Principal component analysis suggested both a five-factor solution (replicating the original five-factor structure) and a three-factor solution. Confirmatory factor analyses showed a better fit for the five-factor model than for the three-factor model. A comparison between the preschool sample and the German normative sample revealed differences in some subscales. Furthermore, there were gender differences in almost all subscales, with boys showing significantly higher problem scores than girls (except for emotional symptoms) and lower scores on the prosocial behavior scale. Parental education proved to be associated with SDQ scores. This study confirmed that the parent-rated SDQ is a reliable and useful instrument for preschoolers and is recommended for screening purposes.

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