Biomedical subjects

Peter Muris

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Muris.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2005

Biological, psychological, and sociocultural correlates of body change strategies and eating problems in adolescent boys and girls.

The present study examines correlates of body change strategies and eating problems in youths. A large sample of adolescents aged 12 to 16 years (N = 307) was asked to complete a set of questionnaires, which measured biological (age, pubertal status, and body mass index [BMI]), psychological (self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, body importance, and body comparison), and sociocultural variables (influence of media, parents, and peers), as well as body change strategies and disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors. Results showed that boys generally try to become more muscular, whereas girls attempt to lose weight. Further, correlational and regression analyses demonstrated that biological, psychological, and sociocultural influences made unique and significant contributions to various body image and body change/eating problems variables. Finally, hierarchical regression analyses yielded theoretically meaningful models for the main body change strategies in boys and girls. In these models, BMI, self-esteem, and sociocultural influences turned out to be significant predictor variables, while body-image-related factors, and in particular body comparison (i.e., the tendency to compare one's body with that of others), partially or fully mediated the influence of some predictor variables.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) in the general adolescent population.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) in a large sample of adolescents from the general population. METHOD: In 2001, 1,340 junior high and high school adolescents in the Netherlands completed the SCARED. The SCARED is a questionnaire that purports to measure five child and adolescent anxiety symptom dimensions. The factor structure of the SCARED was investigated by means of confirmatory factor analyses that were conducted for males and females, early (10-13 years) and middle (14-18 years) adolescent groups, and for Dutch and ethnic minorities. Analyses of variance were carried out to compare mean scores for the various groups. RESULTS: The five-factor structure of the SCARED not only had the best fit for the general adolescent population but also for the age, gender, and ethnic groups. It was also found that the SCARED scores of the adolescent subgroups differed from one another in agreement with previous studies on adolescent anxiety disorder symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study support the claim that the SCARED has a five-factor structure. The usefulness of the SCARED was also demonstrated.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

The relation between gender role orientation and fear and anxiety in nonclinic-referred children.

This study examined the relation between gender role orientation and fear and anxiety in a sample of nonclinic-referred children (N = 209) ages 10 to 13 years. Children and their parents completed questionnaires assessing children's gender role orientation, toy and activity preferences, and fear and anxiety. Results generally indicated that femininity and a preference for girls' toys and activities were positively associated with fear and anxiety, whereas masculinity and a preference for boys' toys and activities were negatively related to these emotions. Furthermore, gender role orientation accounted for more of the variance in fear and anxiety scores than the child's sex.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Cognitive self-consciousness and meta-worry and their relations to symptoms of worry and obsessional thoughts.

The relation between cognitive self-consciousness and meta-worry, and their association with symptoms of worry and obsessional thoughts were examined. 53 undergraduate students completed the expanded version of the Cognitive Self-consciousness Scale, the Meta-worry subscale of the Anxious Thoughts Inventory, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and the Padua Inventory-Revised. Analysis showed that cognitive self-consciousness and meta-worry were moderately correlated (r =.57). Further, both constructs were positively associated with symptoms of worry and obsessional thoughts. When controlling for cognitive self-consciousness, metaworry remained significantly correlated to both types of symptoms. Yet, when controlling for meta-worry, correlations between cognitive self-consciousness and symptoms of worry and obsessional thoughts clearly attuned and were no longer significant. These findings suggest that meta-worry is more important for understanding excessive, intrusive thought patterns than the mere tendency to monitor one's thoughts.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Domains of childhood teasing and psychopathological symptoms in Dutch adolescents.

This study examined relations between memories for childhood teasing and symptoms of social anxiety, depression, and eating disorders in 130 Dutch adolescents. Participants completed the Teasing Questionnaire-Revised which measures how much people recall having been teased during childhood, as well as the Social Anxiety Scale for Children, the Child Depression Inventory, and the Children's Eating Attitude Test. Analysis yielded significant positive correlations between self-reported recollections of childhood teasing and various symptoms. Furthermore, some evidence indicated specific domains of teasing were associated with specific types of psychopathological symptoms.

Child↗

PubMed2004

Children's perception and interpretation of anxiety-related physical symptoms.

The present study examined children's perception and interpretation of anxiety-related physical symptoms in a sample of 4-12-year-old primary school children (N = 129). Children were presented with neutral scenarios in which the main character experienced an anxiety-related physical symptom (e.g., hands trembling, heart beating very fast), and asked to attribute various emotions to this character. Children were also interviewed about idiosyncratic experiences with anxiety-related physical symptoms. Results showed that physical symptoms were associated with a broad range of emotions. "Hands trembling", "heart beating fast", and "difficulties with breathing" were the only symptoms that were more frequently linked to fear than to other emotions. Furthermore, developmental patterns were found for fear-related interpretations of physical symptoms. That is, from the age of 7, children more frequently associated physical symptoms to fear. Finally, children reported to experience anxiety-related physical symptoms in daily life, although frequently not in relation to fearful situations and circumstances.

Anxiety↗

PubMed2004

Anger and hostility in adolescents: relationships with self-reported attachment style and perceived parental rearing styles.

OBJECTIVE: To examine relationships between self-reported attachment style and parental rearing behaviors, on the one hand, and anger/hostility, on the other hand, in a sample of nonclinical adolescents (N=441). METHOD: Participants completed (a) a single-item measure of attachment style; (b) a questionnaire measuring perceptions of parental rearing behaviors; and (c) two scales assessing anger and hostility. RESULTS: Self-reported attachment style was related to anger/hostility. That is, adolescents who defined themselves as avoidantly or ambivalently attached displayed higher levels of anger/hostility than adolescents who classified themselves as securely attached. Furthermore, perceived parental rearing was also related to anger/hostility. More specifically, low levels of emotional warmth and high levels of rejection, control, and inconsistency were accompanied by high levels of anger/hostility. Finally, regression analyses showed that both attachment status and parental rearing behaviors accounted for a unique and significant proportion of the variance in anger/hostility. CONCLUSION: These findings are in keeping with the notion that family environment factors such as attachment style and parental rearing are involved in the development of anger/hostility in youths.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

The stability of threat perception abnormalities and anxiety disorder symptoms in non-clinical children.

The current study examined the temporal stability of threat perception abnormalities and anxiety disorder symptoms in non-clinical children. One-hundred-and-thirteen primary school children aged 9 to 13 years completed a self-report measure of anxiety disorder symptoms, and were interviewed individually using an ambiguous story paradigm from which a number of threat perception indices were derived. The assessment was repeated some 4 weeks later, so that it became possible to study prospective relationships for threat perception abnormalities and anxiety disorder symptoms. Results indicated that, on both occasions, anxiety disorder symptoms were significantly associated with threat perception abnormalities. Furthermore, threat perception abnormalities were moderately stable with test-retest correlations between 0.44 and 0.63 for the various threat indices and a test-retest correlation of 0.61 for the threat perception composite score. Finally, no evidence was obtained for a direct prospective link between threat perception and anxiety disorder symptoms. Implications for the role of threat perception distortions in the maintenance of anxiety complaints in children are briefly discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Strengths and difficulties as correlates of attachment style in institutionalized and non-institutionalized children with below-average intellectual abilities.

The current study examined attachment style, strengths, and difficulties in institutionalized and non-institutionalized children with below-average intellectual abilities. Parents/caregivers and teachers of the children completed a brief measure of attachment style and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, which assesses the most important domains of child psychopathology (i.e., emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity-inattention, and peer problems) as well as personal strengths (i.e., prosocial behavior). Results indicated that institutionalized children were more frequently insecurely attached and generally displayed higher levels of difficulties and lower levels of strengths than non-institutionalized children. Furthermore, within both groups of children, insecure attachment status was linked to higher levels of difficulties but lower levels of strengths.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Emotional reasoning and parent-based reasoning in normal children.

A previous study by Muris, Merckelbach, and Van Spauwen demonstrated that children display emotional reasoning irrespective of their anxiety levels. That is, when estimating whether a situation is dangerous, children not only rely on objective danger information but also on their own anxiety-response. The present study further examined emotional reasoning in children aged 7-13 years (N = 508). In addition, it was investigated whether children also show parent-based reasoning, which can be defined as the tendency to rely on anxiety-responses that can be observed in parents. Children completed self-report questionnaires of anxiety, depression, and emotional and parent-based reasoning. Evidence was found for both emotional and parent-based reasoning effects. More specifically, children's danger ratings were not only affected by objective danger information, but also by anxiety-response information in both objective danger and safety stories. High levels of anxiety and depression were significantly associated with the tendency to rely on anxiety-response information, but only in the case of safety scripts.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Providing parents with information before anaesthesia: what do they really want to know?

BACKGROUND: Videotapes presenting information concerning children's anaesthesia are often based on what the makers of the videotape believe the parents want to know rather than what parents actually want to know. They frequently do not take into account the parent's coping style. Two common parental coping styles are information-seeking (monitoring) and information-avoiding (blunting). METHODS: We wished to take parent needs into account when making our local videotape and accordingly constructed a questionnaire designed to elicit these needs. RESULTS: Of the parents questioned, 55% wanted more extensive preoperative information and 41% of parents wanted a videotape as part of this preparation. Information about premedication, induction of anaesthesia, side-effects of anaesthesia and postoperative pain management were sought by more than 70% of parents. Parents had concerns about induction of anaesthesia, emergence from anaesthesia and postoperative pain and nausea. When asked a question concerning preference about being present at the induction of anaesthesia, 90% of parents wanted to be present at the induction and 75% of parents thought that their child should receive a premedicant. The number of parents requesting to be present at the induction decreased to 72% after an explanation about the purpose and effects of premedication. There was no correlation between the coping style of the parent and the responses given to the questions. There was no correlation between the level of education and the coping style of the parent. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a questionnaire of parental attitudes towards information and anaesthesia provided a useful tool in the production of a video as part of our preoperative preparation. Our videotape has proved a success with staff and parents and children and enhances the quality of our service. Its popularity stems from the fact that it addresses what the parents want to know and also conveys what the staff of this hospital would like the parents to know.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

A questionnaire for screening a broad range of DSM-defined anxiety disorder symptoms in clinically referred children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the reliability and validity of the 66-item Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders-Revised (SCARED-R), a questionnaire for measuring a broad range of DSM-defined anxiety disorder symptoms, in a sample of clinically referred youths. METHOD: The SCARED-R was administered to children/adolescents and their parents during the standard intake assessment. SCARED-R scores were compared against Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores, DSM-IV axis I classifications, and global assessment of functioning (GAF) ratings. RESULTS: In this sample of clinically referred youths, the SCARED-R was reliable in terms of internal consistency and showed reasonable child-parent agreement. Furthermore, SCARED-R scores correlated significantly with CBCL internalising but not with externalising. Within the group of children with anxiety disorders, SCARED-R scores were also negatively associated with children's daily functioning as rated on the GAF scale. Finally, SCARED-R scores had satisfactory discriminant validity (both between anxiety disorders and other problems and within anxiety disorders), and appeared to have reasonable value for predicting specific anxiety disorders. CONCLUSION: The SCARED-R is a valuable addition to the arsenal of questionnaires that are used for the assessment of anxiety in youths.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Relations between parent- and teacher-reported behavioral inhibition and behavioral observations of this temperamental trait.

This study examined the relation between the Behavioral Inhibition Scale (BIS), a measure that was specifically developed for assessing behavioral inhibition, and behavioral observations of this trait. Children ages 6 to 10 years participated in a series of experimental tasks assessing behavioral features of the inhibited temperament. The parents and teachers of these children completed the BIS. Results showed that the BIS (in particular the parent version) was significantly related to the observational index of behavioral inhibition. An additional aim of the study was to examine the relation between behavioral inhibition as indexed by the BIS and observations, on the one hand, and measures of anxiety symptoms, fear, and behavioral symptoms, on the other hand. As expected, significant correlations between behavioral inhibition indexes and symptoms of anxiety and withdrawal were observed. The BIS is found to be a brief and easy-to-administer instrument, which seems to provide a meaningful first impression of children's level of behavioral inhibition, and this is particularly true when using the parent version of the BIS.

Child↗

PubMed2004

The self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: its psychometric properties in 8- to 13-year-old non-clinical children.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the reliability and validity of the self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in relatively young children. METHOD: The SDQ was administered to a large sample of non-clinical children (n = 1111) aged 8-13 years. In a subsample (n = 439), self-report SDQ scores of children with and without behaviour problems were compared, and related to the teacher version of the SDQ, the Youth Self-Report and the Teacher Report Form. RESULTS: Although the reliability of the self-report SDQ was somewhat less satisfactory in the younger children of our sample, most other psychometric properties were acceptable and comparable to those obtained in older youths. CONCLUSION: While the self-report SDQ was designed for youths aged 11 years and above, the current data seem to suggest that the scale may provide useful information about psychopathological symptoms in children as young as 8 years old.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Correlates of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale in delinquent adolescents.

Correlations between scores on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale and a number of relevant personality characteristics, i.e., intelligence, memory, social inadequacy, social desirability, and fantasy proneness, were examined in a sample of 71 delinquent boys. Analysis showed that intelligence and memory were negatively related to suggestibility scores. That is, lower memory and intelligence were associated with higher suggestibility. No significant correlations were found between suggestibility and other personality characteristics.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Children's somatization symptoms: correlations with trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and learning experiences.

The objectives of this study were to examine associations between trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and learning experiences, on the one hand, and children's somatization symptoms, on the other hand. A sample of 190 nonclinical children completed the trait anxiety scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index, and the Children's Somatization Inventory, and were interviewed about learning experiences in relation to physical symptoms. Correlational and regression analyses indicated that trait anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and parents' anxiety-encouraging behaviours in relation to somatic symptoms were significantly positively associated with somatization. These results indicate that there might be common vulnerability factors in childhood anxiety and somatization symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)--further evidence for its reliability and validity in a community sample of Dutch children and adolescents.

This study was a first attempt to examine the psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in Dutch youths. A large sample of normal children and adolescents ( N = 562) and their parents completed the SDQ along with a number of other psychopathology measures. Factor analysis of the SDQ yielded five factors that were in keeping with the hypothesised subscales of hyperactivity-inattention, emotional symptoms, peer problems, conduct problems, and prosocial behaviour. Furthermore, internal consistency, test-retest stability, and parent-youth agreement of the various SDQ scales were acceptable. Finally, the concurrent validity of the SDQ was good: that is, its scores correlated in a theoretically meaningful way with other measures of psychopathology. It can be concluded that the psychometric properties of the parent- and self-report version of the SDQ were satisfactory in this Dutch community sample. Moreover, the current data provide further support for the utility of the SDQ as an index of psychopathological symptoms in youths.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Fear of the beast: a prospective study on the effects of negative information on childhood fear.

The current study examined the effects of negative information on the enhancement of childhood fear. A large group of normal primary school children aged between 4 and 12 years (N=285) received either negative or positive information about an unknown, doglike animal, called 'the beast'. Children's fears were assessed at three points in time: before, directly after, and one week after the information about the beast was provided (i.e., pre-, post- and follow-up assessment). Results showed that type of information changed children's fear of the beast in the predicted direction with negative information increasing fear levels and positive information decreasing fear levels. This was not only the case directly after the experimental manipulation but also at one week follow-up. Furthermore, fear of the beast appeared to generalize, that is, children who became more fearful of the beast after receiving negative information, also became more apprehensive of other dogs and predators.

Age Factors↗