Abstract: Several studies have reported on the co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and gender dysphoria (GD), especially during adolescence. A specific treatment program for Dutch...Show moreAbstract: Several studies have reported on the co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and gender dysphoria (GD), especially during adolescence. A specific treatment program for Dutch adolescents with comorbid ASD and GD remains absent, while difficulties with self-worth and psychological wellbeing play a major role for this minority group. The current study investigates the effectiveness of a peer support group on the self-worth and psychological complaints of adolescents, using a pre- and post-test design. A total of 26 adolescents, 16 boys (61,5%) and 10 girls (38,5%) aged 13 to 24 (M = 18,92, SD = 2,30), were included. To assess self-worth and psychological complaints self-report questionnaires CBSA and SCL-90-R are used respectively, prior to and after finishing the intervention. A dependent t-test was used to compare the means of the measurement regarding self-worth and psychological complaints before and after the intervention took place. Results indicated that psychological complaints significantly reduced (t(22) = 2,56, p = ,02), while no effect was found on self-worth. A linear regression was used to test psychological complaints as a predictor of the effectiveness regarding self-worth. A trend was found in the positive direction, F(1,15) = 3,60, p = ,08. A higher level of psychological complaints in the pre-test predicts more overall improvement on self-worth. The results need to be interpreted with caution because of the small sample size and the absence of an experimental study design. Nevertheless, the research on the intervention contributes to the limited knowledge on treatment for adolescents with comorbid ASD and GD and shows significant reduction of psychological complaints after participating in the intervention, while taking the needs of adolescents with ASD and GD in regard.Show less
Aggressive behavior of children or adolescents has long term consequences for themselves and society. Inhibition deficits can contribute to aggression. Inhibition can be divided into hot and cool...Show moreAggressive behavior of children or adolescents has long term consequences for themselves and society. Inhibition deficits can contribute to aggression. Inhibition can be divided into hot and cool inhibition. Cool inhibition is characterized by abstract, decontextualized problems and hot inhibition is characterized by problems that involve the regulation of affect and motivation. The aim of the current study is to investigate the relation between hot or cool inhibition and aggressive behavior in children with a higher risk of externalizing behavior. Furthermore, the influence of age on the relation between hot or cool inhibition and aggressive behavior in children with a higher risk of externalizing behavior is investigated. It is expected that hot inhibition is stronger related to aggressive behavior than cool inhibition. Furthermore, it is expected that age influences the relation between hot and cool inhibition and aggressive behavior. Hot and cool inhibition are measured by two subtasks of the Amsterdamse Neuropsychologische Taken (ANT). Hot inhibition is measured with ANT-Delay Frustration and cool inhibition with ANT-Shifting attentional Set Visual. Aggressive behavior is measured with the Instrument voor Reactieve en Proactieve Agressie (IRPA) questionnaire which is filled in by the teacher. The data are analyzed by performing linear regressions, multiple regressions and moderation analysis. Results indicated no separate or joint relation of hot and cool inhibition with aggressive behavior. Also, age did not influence the relation between hot or the speed component of cool inhibition and aggressive behavior. On the other hand, age did moderate the relation between the accuracy component of cool inhibition and aggressive behavior. Future research also needs to investigate other types of executive functioning and their influence on different forms of aggression. This will help in developing preventive programs and interventions to limit the consequences of the aggressive behavior for the child and society.Show less
Children and adolescents with low social acceptance and low self-esteem are at a higher risk for multiple problems, including aggression, delinquency, and depression. If the underlying causes of...Show moreChildren and adolescents with low social acceptance and low self-esteem are at a higher risk for multiple problems, including aggression, delinquency, and depression. If the underlying causes of low social acceptance and low self-esteem are known, children with these problems can be helped with specific intervention programs. Executive functions, like inhibition, could be part of the possible underlying causes. The current study focuses on the relation between inhibition and self-esteem and whether either objective or subjective social acceptance influence this relation. This study will also assess whether there is a difference between objective social acceptance (OSA) and subjective social acceptance (SSA) and whether there is a relation between inhibition and either objective social acceptance or subjective social acceptance. The measures inhibition speed, inhibition accuracy, SSA, OSA and self-esteem measured for 130 children and adolescents (6 – 18 years) at risk for externalising problems were used to analyse these questions. The results showed that inhibition is not significantly related to self-esteem or SSA, but was related to lower OSA (p = .02). OSA does not moderate the relation between inhibition and self-esteem. However, SSA shows a trend of strengthening the relation between inhibition and self-esteem. Children with average SSA and better inhibition speed had lower self-esteem, similar to children with low SSA, children with worse inhibition speed had higher self- esteem, similar to children with high SSA (p = .08). For inhibition accuracy, children with a lower SSA had lower self-esteem when their inhibition was worse, while children with a high SSA had higher self-esteem when they had worse inhibition (p = .07). These results suggest that future social acceptance or self-esteem interventions should not focus on inhibition for children with externalising problems.Show less
Among adolescents with gender dysphoria (GD) there appears to be an overrepresentation of the comorbid diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD), while both diagnoses occur in (less than) 1% of the...Show moreAmong adolescents with gender dysphoria (GD) there appears to be an overrepresentation of the comorbid diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD), while both diagnoses occur in (less than) 1% of the population (De Vries et al., 2010). The combination of ASD and GD is associated with low self-esteem, which can result in psychological problems (Balleur-van Rijn et al., 2012). To date, no intervention exists to increase the level of self-esteem of adolescents with ASD and GD (Myers et al., 2011). The current study focuses on the effect of a peer discussion group on the degree of self-esteem of adolescents with ASD and GD. This was examined in 33 adolescents with both ASD and GD (mean 17;7 years), consisting of 19 gender variant boys and 15 gender variant girls. To assess the degree of self-esteem, the Competentie Belevingsschaal voor Adolescenten (CBSA) was used. The CBSA is a self-report questionnaire that uses 35 items to measure various components of the self-concept. This questionnaire will be administered prior to and after the peer discussion group. The effect of the peer discussion group was measured using multiple repeated measures ANOVAs. The results show that the peer discussion group has no effect on the overall level of self-esteem, as the difference in self-esteem between the pre- and post-measurement was not significant (F(1, 32) = .08, p = .77). Looking closer into the results, the peer discussion group was found to have a negative effect on self-esteem concerning physical appearance (F(1, 32) = 8.73, p = .006) and a positive effect on self-esteem concerning behavioral attitudes (F(1, 32) = 11.14, p = .002). Thus, in its current form, the peer discussion group does not appear to be an appropriate intervention to increase all domains of self-esteem of adolescents with ASD and GD.Show less
