Gloria García-Banda

Objective: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the neurobehavioral disorder with the largest prevalence rate in childhood. ADHD is generally assessed based on physical examination of the child and interviews, and therefore prone to subjectivity. This fact may lead to a high risk of mis- and over-diagnosis, a problem that can be addressed through the use of objective markers. Methods: Here we propose to use phase-amplitude coupling as a digital biomarker in ADHD. We investigated the hypothesis that coupling between the phase of slow brain rhythms and the amplitude of fast rhythms is altered in the ADHD population. We tested this hypothesis measuring phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) in the 4 to 200Hz range in electroencephalographic (EEG) signals recorded in the central-frontal area in children during eyes closed resting state. Results: Using automatic clustering, we observed statistically significant beta-gamma PAC deficits in the ADHD population in the frontal-left hemisphere. Conclusions: These findings suggests alterations in the beta-gamma coupling in the ADHD population. We discuss the hypothesis that these alterations may be indicators of working memory and attention deficits. Significance: The study of the coupling between the different brain rhythms can potentially contribute to the understanding and clinical diagnosis of ADHD.

Psychological harassment is a serious occupational risk for nurses, but little is known about its related factors and possible predictors. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether nursing students’ neuroticism trait and coping styles can predict psychological harassment at work when they later become nurses. A non-experimental, longitudinal, three-wave prospective study with a time lag of 6 years was carried out, following nursing students from three Spanish universities until they joined the health labor market. The age range of the sample was 20–48 years, and the mean age was 26.99 ± 5.72; the majority of the sample were women (88.5%). Predictor variables were neuroticism and coping styles (emotional and behavioral coping). The criterion variable was psychological harassment. To examine the model fit between the predictor and criterion variables, we conducted structural equation modelling. Results confirmed a high correlation between neuroticism and psychological harassment. In addition, a direct effect of neuroticism on psychological harassment was found; however, emotional and behavioral coping styles did not show a good fit. Proactive interventions to improve emotional self-control are needed in order to prevent negative effects of psychological harassment at work on nurses.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. It is one of the most commonly diagnosed neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders of childhood and therefore presents a very high prevalence rate. However the high rate of ADHD misdiagnosis makes the discovery of neurophysiological ADHD biomarkers an important clinical challenge. This study proposes a novel non-stationary ADHD biomarker based on Echo State Networks to quantify EEG dynamical changes between low attention/arousal states (resting with eyes closed, or EC) and normal attention/arousal states (resting with eyes open, or EO). Traditionally, EEG biomarkers have revealed an increase in stationary power in the theta band along with a decrease in beta, with these frequencies largely accepted to be altered in the ADHD population. We successfully verify the hypothesis that measured differences between these two conditions are altered in the ADHD population. Statistically significant differences between a group of ADHD subjects and an aged-matched control population were obtained in theta and beta rhythms. Our network discriminates between EO/EC EEG regimes in the ADHDs better than in controls, suggesting that differences in EEG patterns between low and normal arousal/attention states are larger in the ADHD population.

The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence rate of ODD in school age children, and analyze the variability of the prevalence rates per informant, according to the sources of information, sex, age, and level of agreement between teachers and parents. This is an epidemiological study conducted using a community sample extracted by means of multi-stage stratified sampling. The sample consisted of 1,295 children of both sexes from 6 to 8 years old. For diagnostic evaluation, the Oppositional Defiant Disorder Rating Scale (ODDRS-IV) was used. The estimated global prevalence of ODD, detected by all sources is 16.1%. But if we consider the percentage of subjects detected by only one informant, the prevalence rate is 9.5%. The prevalence according to teachers is 5.1% (95% CI = 3.88–6.31), according to fathers is 9% (95% CI = 7.38–10.54), and according to mothers is 9.7% (95% CI = 8.02–11.29). Teachers report more boys with ODD than girls. Results support the idea of high variability in ODD prevalence rates. Our findings suggest that parents are more prone to detect the disorder than teachers, and that boys present ODD more frequently than girls, only when they are evaluated by their teachers.

The presence of clowns in health care settings is a program used in many countries to reduce distress in children who are undergoing surgery. The aim of the present study is to determine the effect of the presence of clowns on children's distress and maladaptive behaviours while in hospital for minor surgery. The sample consisted of 61 pediatric patients (aged 3-12 years) undergoing general anesthesia for minor surgery. Participants were assigned to two groups: experimental and control group. The child's distress was assessed using FAS (Facial Affective Scale). Postoperative maladaptive behaviors were evaluated one week after surgery, using the PHBQ (Post-Hospital Behavior Questionnaire). Our results suggest that clowns are not able to reduce the child's level of distress. However, postoperative maladaptive behaviours in the experimental group decreased, but the decrease was not statistically significant. Further research is needed to determine the effects of clowns in hospitals, taking into account age, sex, parents' presence, and diverse hospital settings.