OBJECTIVES:Screening tools for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) help to identify individuals likely to have ADHD. Several screening scales are used for identifying adults with ADHD, based on criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The ADHD symptoms described in the DSM were originally developed to describe the behaviours of children, not adults, and focus on the triad of symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Clinical research and experience, however, have revealed additional dimensions of adult ADHD, such as hyperfocus, racing thoughts, emotional lability, impaired sleep, and differences in time perception. Commensurate with the conditions' growing recognition, the adult ADHD presentation requires rethinking. METHODS:To understand better the ADHD symptomatology experienced by adults, qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 diagnosed adults. RESULTS:Using thematic analysis, nine themes of adult ADHD symptoms were identified. The first three themes map to the original triad of symptoms - attentional difficulties, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. A further three themes identified are briefly mentioned in the DSM - disorganisation, forgetfulness, and reduced activation. The final three themes are covered to some degree in the current rating scales but are absent from the DSM 5 - emotional lability, sleep difficulties, and time perception difficulties. CONCLUSIONS:This study highlights nine themes relevant to adult ADHD, six of which are absent from the DSM 5's triad. This research highlights gaps in current assessment tools and suggests symptoms that are more reflective of the adult experience of having ADHD.

Abstract Nature connection plays an important role in the relationship between nature contact and well‐being, but explanations of how this occurs are sometimes ambiguous while evidence is conflicting. Philosophical tensions in the way we study nature connection make it difficult to clarify these matters: while the idea of nature connection is grounded in an understanding that people are part of nature, conceptual, and empirical strategies used to study it often assume people and environment are separate. We aim to support a more careful conceptualisation of the relationship between nature and well‐being, with a focus on the concept of nature connection. We ground our analysis in an account of scientific approaches (scientific worldviews) in the study of human–nature relationships. Some psychological research is more mechanistic in approach, treating people and the environment as distinct entities that change through interactions best understood through detached observation. Other research is more holistic or relational, considering humans and nature as mutually defining facets of events or systems, with knowledge assumed to be situated relative to the observer. We argue that a spectrum of scientific approaches is needed to understand human–nature relationships. We demonstrate the relational assumptions of nature connection and assess how this aligns with its application in studies of nature and well‐being, including the way nature connection is defined and observed. We examine 10 psychological theories of how nature contact influences well‐being, noting that such theories implicitly or explicitly shape how nature connection can be defined and understood to operate. In both analyses, we highlight theoretical aspects that are aligned with more mechanistic or more relational approaches. We argue researchers need to be alert to scientific worldviews associated with the concept of nature connection, and to define, observe, and theorise nature, nature connection, and well‐being in ways that explicitly address the researcher's purpose and assumptions. To support clarity and alignment in theorisation, we synthesise a list of mechanistic and relational conceptual approaches to studying nature and well‐being, including suggestions regarding definitions, unit of analysis, approach to dynamics and change, and the role of the researcher. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

In response to the concurrent challenges posed by fewer opportunities to experience nature and mental health crises, nature-based interventions have become increasingly important to promote wellbeing. Some nature-based interventions specifically aim to increase psychological engagement with nature, though little is known about how these interventions work to benefit wellbeing outcomes for people. Psychological engagement with nature involves active engagement in the nature experience, where intention and awareness are encouraged via sensory, cognitive, affective, or behavioural activities in nature. Nature-based engagement interventions therefore alter how individuals interact with nature based on these different forms of engagement.In this paper, we conducted a scoping review of nature-based engagement interventions. The paper reviewed the current methods, outcomes, and underlying theories of these interventions, with the aim of determining how varying levels of psychological engagement in nature interventions are being designed and implemented to target wellbeing outcomes for adults. We identified 19 studies that met inclusion criteria. The review revealed that, while there is growing evidence for the benefit of engagement interventions for wellbeing outcomes including affect, nature connection, and restoration, many studies report null effects. Based on these findings, we make recommendations to advance this area of research. First, intervention designs should be theoretically driven with clear communication of the theoretical basis underpinning engagement practices and hypotheses. Second, researchers should provide detailed definitions of engagement forms and descriptions of how practices are implemented in interventions. Finally, interventions should systematically investigate optimal designs, including duration, setting, guidance, and the form of psychological engagement.

Research is equivocal on whether attention orienting is atypical in autism. This study investigated two types of attention orienting in autistic people and accounted for the potential confounders of alerting level, co-occurring symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety, age, and sex. Twenty-seven autistic participants (14 males; 9-43 years) and 22 age- and sex-matched non-autistic participants (13 males; 9-42 years) completed the exogenous and endogenous Posner tasks. Response time and pupillometric data were recorded. Autistic participants were faster at orienting attention to valid cues in the exogenous task and slower at disengaging from invalid cues in the endogenous task compared to non-autistic participants. With increasing age, autistic participants showed faster exogenous and endogenous orienting, whereas non-autistic participants showed faster exogenous orienting but stable speed of endogenous orienting. Higher ADHD symptoms were associated with slower exogenous orienting in both groups, whereas higher anxiety symptoms were associated with faster exogenous orienting only in autistic participants. No group differences were noted for alerting levels, sex, or pupillary responses. This study provides new evidence of superior exogenous orienting and inefficient endogenous orienting in autistic people and suggests that age and co-occurring symptoms are important to consider when assessing attention orienting in autism.

Mindfulness and mind wandering may both enhance the psychological outcomes of nature experiences. Both states are multi-faceted, with mindfulness involving specific components such as decentering, body awareness, and nonjudgment, and mind wandering involving intentional and spontaneous mind wandering. These facets may differentially predict psychological outcomes of nature experiences, however these associations have not been tested. In this study we examined facets of mindfulness and mind wandering in nature and tested their associations with outcomes of psychological restoration and nature connection. We also tested the effects of different environmental and personal circumstances on these engagement facets in nature. We conducted an experiment in which participants were instructed on how to engage with nature during a 20min outdoor experience and completed online surveys before and after the outdoor experience. Participants were allocated into one of four groups, each given different engagement instructions. Through an exploratory factor analysis, we found that the measure of state mindfulness assessed three facets – decentering, noticing and accepting the internal experience, and body awareness, and the measure of mind wandering assessed two facets – mindlessness, and pleasant mind wandering. Regression analyses revealed associations between these facets and outcomes of the nature experience: decentering, body awareness, and pleasant mind wandering were generally associated with positive outcomes, and mindlessness and noticing and accepting the internal experience were associated with poorer outcomes relating to negative affect and attention performance. Further analyses revealed environmental and personal contextual factors that influenced engagement during the nature experience. These results demonstrate the value of deconstructing mindfulness and mind wandering in nature to explore facets that have beneficial or adverse effects on psychological outcomes. We conclude with practical directions for nature-based engagement interventions that can target the beneficial components of these practices in different contexts.

Atypical sustained attention is a symptom in a number of neurological and psychological conditions. Investigations into its neural underpinnings are required for improved management and treatment. Rodents are useful in investigating the neurobiology underlying atypical sustained attention and several rodent tasks have been developed for use in touchscreen testing platforms that mimic methodology used in human clinical attention assessment. This systematic review was conducted to assess how translatable these rodent tasks are to equivalent clinical human tasks. Studies using the rodent Continuous Performance Task (rCPT), Sustained Attention Task (SAT), and 5-choice CPT (5C-CPT) were sought and screened. Included in the review were 138 studies, using the rCPT (n = 21), SAT (n = 90), and 5C-CPT (n = 27). Translatability between rodent and human studies was assessed based on (1) methodological similarity, (2) performance similarity, and (3) replication of results. The 5C-CPT was found to be the most translatable cross-species paradigm with good utility, while the rCPT and SAT require adaptation and further development to meet these translatability benchmarks. With greater replication and more consistent results, greater confidence in the translation of sustained attention results between species will be engendered. This study provides a systematic review that assesses the translational validity of sustained attention tasks in rodents. One hundred and thirty-eight studies were included, covering the rodent Continuous Performance Task (rCPT), Sustained Attention Task (SAT), and 5-choice CPT (5C-CPT). Translatability between rodent and human studies was assessed based on methodological similarity, performance similarity, and replication of results. The 5C-CPT was found to be the most translatable cross-species paradigm with good utility, while the rCPT and SAT require further adaptation for translation.image

Background Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder affecting approximately 6% of university students (Norvilitis et al., 2008; Song et al., 2021). ADHD is defined by inattentiveness, and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Students with ADHD suffer poor academic achievement, lower social skills, a greater chance of substance misuse, and face a much higher dropout rate compared with their peers (Henning et al., 2022; Sedgwick‑Müller et al., 2022). Poor educational outcomes associated with ADHD at University can have long-term consequences on mental health, well-being, and economic outcomes (Sedgwick‑Müller et al., 2022).Academic coaching is an efficacious intervention for optimising coping strategies and improving well-being in students with ADHD (Prevatt, 2016). Academic coaching involves learning about the common difficulties associated with ADHD in adulthood, learning how to optimise study plans, improve academic skills, develop time management and organisation skills, and enhance project management skills (Prevatt, 2016; Swartz et al., 2005). Solanto and colleagues have added cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) techniques with academic coaching to produce a 12-week schedule of coaching aimed at improving executive functioning skills in adults with ADHD (Solanto, 2013), which has been tailored for use with university students (Solanto and Scheres, 2021). We aimed to test the efficacy of Solanto's schedule with a cohort of university students with ADHD. Methods Seventy-five students with ADHD enrolled into the evaluation study of the Solanto schedule, which we named the ADHD Study Skills group (SSG). In the SSG the students learned about time management, motivation about study, identifying and challenging negative thoughts, project management, academic skills, and shared ideas about their management of ADHD. Before the start of the SSG we measured the students' symptoms of ADHD, depression, anxiety, and stress. We tested their attention control using the Sustained Attention to Response Task, the Barkley scales of Executive Functioning, their attitudes to study, and their self-esteem. We re-tested their attention control, Executive Functioning and Functional Impairment, attitudes to study, and their self-esteem after completion of the 12-week schedule. Results At baseline, the participants had high symptoms of ADHD, the average score on the Barkley Total Executive Functioning Score was in the 98th percentile, and the average score on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory was at 60%. Their average LASSI scores, measures of attitude to study, ranged from the 15th to the 46th percentile. We are testing them now in the week after the SSG finished and will test them again in 3 months. Discussion At baseline, the students with ADHD showed high symptoms of ADHD, very poor executive functioning scores, low self-esteem scores, and very poor attitudes to and confidence towards study. The attendance at the SSG dropped over the course of the semester, consistent with attendance at lectures on campus. The data collected presently will provide important information about the efficacy of the CBT and study skills coaching approach for these university students.

Green roofs are a popular way of providing environmental benefits and places where people can experience and benefit from nature, but we know very little about the features and experiential characteristics that can support this. Fascination through interest and engagement is argued to be a key component of landscapes that restore wellbeing. We explored this proposition using complementary approaches in two studies investigating green roof landscapes. The first explored fascinating visual features using a photo-based survey, with 29 diverse international green roofs. The second explored fascinating features and characteristics of experience using interviews following virtual green roof visits, asking participants for their perceptions of the view and experience while visiting. We integrated findings across studies to develop a model of green roof design. We identified complexity through space and time, movement into and of features in the landscape, multi-sensory engagement, and connecting with distance through vast vistas as key to fascinating green roof experiences. These characteristics were associated with features on and beyond the roof, both natural and built. Many of these characteristics and features are applicable to urban landscapes more broadly, however, some, such as connection with the sky and movement and process in the city, appear to be unique to elevated views and experiences and warrant further study.

There is a growing interest in how exposure to biodiversity influences mental health and wellbeing; however, few studies have focused on children. The aim of this review was to identify studies that used components of biodiversity and children’s health outcomes to assess if there were any themes that could be used to inform urban design and understand the mechanisms behind associations. We used a PROSPERO registered protocol to identify eligible studies following pre-defined inclusion criteria. After searching five databases, 25 studies were included in the review. From these articles we extracted data on the biodiversity exposure and mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Five categories of biodiversity exposure were identified, including species diversity (n = 1; 4%), functional diversity (n = 6; 26%), ecological community (n = 9; 36%), green space metrics (n = 4; 16%), and high-level classifications (n = 6; 24%). Children’s health and wellbeing were tabulated into seven categories: play (n = 10; 40%), wellbeing (n = 6; 24%), mental health and cognitive functioning (n = 5; 20%), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related behaviours (n = 4; 16%), preferences for nature (n = 3; 12%), academic achievement (n = 2; 8%), and restoration (n = 2; 8%). The high heterogeneity of biodiversity and health measures reduced our ability to identify relationships across studies and formally test for an exposure-dose response. Future research that uses standardised and transferable biodiversity measurements at multiple scales, has stronger reporting rigour, greater consideration of potential modifiers, and increased representation of studies from the Majority World are essential for building a stronger evidence base to deliver child-centred biodiverse landscapes.

Rationale Atypical attention orienting has been associated with some autistic symptoms, but the neural mechanisms remain unclear. The human Posner task, a classic attention orienting paradigm, was recently adapted for use with mice, supporting the investigation of the neurobiological underpinnings of atypical attention orienting in preclinical mouse models. Objective The current study tested mice expressing the autism-associated R451C gene mutation in neuroligin-3 (NL3) on the mouse-Posner (mPosner) task. Methods NL3 R451C and wild-type (WT) mice were trained to respond to a validly or invalidly cued target on a touchscreen. The cue was a peripheral non-predictive flash in the exogenous task and a central spatially predictive image in the endogenous task. The effects of dopaminergic- and noradrenergic-modulating drugs, methylphenidate and atomoxetine, on task performance were assessed. Results In both tasks, mice were quicker and more accurate in the validly versus invalidly cued trials, consistent with results in the human Posner task. NL3 R451C and WT mice showed similar response times and accuracy but responded differently when treated with methylphenidate and atomoxetine. Methylphenidate impaired exogenous attention disengagement in NL3 R451C mice but did not significantly affect WT mice. Atomoxetine impaired endogenous orienting in WT mice but did not significantly affect NL3 R451C mice. Conclusions NL3 R451C mice demonstrated intact attention orienting but altered responses to the pharmacological manipulation of the dopaminergic and noradrenergic networks. These findings expand our understanding of the NL3 R451C mutation by suggesting that this mutation may lead to selective alterations in attentional processes.

Sustaining attention is an important cognitive process for everyday functioning and arousal is thought to underpin its performance. Primate studies depict an inverted-u relation between sustained attention and arousal, in which sustained attention performance is most affected at the extreme levels of arousal and peak performance aligns with moderate arousal. Human research findings are, however, inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the effects of arousal on sustained attention performance in humans using two approaches-a small-N study with an inbuilt replication to test within-participant variation, and a larger sample assessing between-participant variation. The Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) was used to measure sustained attention performance and the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) was used to measure arousal. In the small-N study five participants completed the SART and KSS once an hour between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., repeated two weeks later. Significant, curvilinear variation in KSS across time-of-day was found. A linear association between SART response time variability (sigma) and KSS was noted, however no other consistent associations between the SART and KSS were found. In the large-N study, 161 participants completed the SART and KSS once, at a time of day of their choosing. There were no significant relations between SART measures and the KSS, indicating that subjective sleepiness was not related to sustained attention performance. Overall, the hypothesized inverted-u relation between arousal and sustained attention performance was not found. The results suggested that diurnal arousal variation does not modify sustained attention performance in adults.

Alertness, the state of being attentive and ready to perform a task, and inhibitory control, the ability to control one’s own behaviours by inhibiting irrelevant information and responding to appropriate stimuli, are two areas of difficulty for many individuals with ADHD. Dysfunction in the regulation of alertness and inhibitory control can result in a spectrum of difficulties, from minor lapses in attention to severe consequences involving accidents and injuries, and underachievement in education and work. The functioning of alertness and inhibitory control can be measured, rated, and evaluated against sex- and age-matched normed behaviours. Experimental tasks are used to explain the cognitive functioning associated with alerting and inhibitory control in people with ADHD because these tasks control the timing and spatial appearance of stimuli, and performance can then be modelled. Results at the group level often, but not always, reveal alerting and inhibitory control difficulties associated with ADHD. On the individual level, people with ADHD can often perform very well on some, if not all, of these tasks: these individual differences are a matter of research. Many of the theories of ADHD highlight difficulties with alerting and inhibitory control. Neurological mechanisms associated with alertness and inhibitory control show that they are distinctive processes, with complex circuitry. Treatment of ADHD includes administration of stimulant medications, non-stimulant medications, and cognitive behavioural therapies. Those treatments are effective in improving both alertness and inhibitory control, resulting in improvements in functional outcomes for people with ADHD.

Background: Anemia and iron deficiency have been associated with poor child cognitive development. A key rationale for the prevention of anemia using supplementation with iron has been the benefits to neurodevelopment. However, little causal evidence exists for these gains. Objectives: We aimed to examine effects of supplementation with iron or multiple micronutrient powders (MNPs) on brain activity measures using resting electroencephalography (EEG). Methods: Children included in this neurocognitive substudy were randomly selected from the Benefits and Risks of Iron Supplementation in Children study, a double-blind, double-dummy, individually randomized, parallel-group trial in Bangladesh, in which children, starting at 8 mo of age, received 3 mo of daily iron syrup, MNPs, or placebo. Resting brain activity was recorded using EEG immediately after inter-vention (month 3) and after a further 9-month follow-up (month 12). We derived EEG band power measures for delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. Linear regression models were used to compare the effect of each intervention with that of placebo on the outcomes. Results: Data from 412 children at month 3 and 374 at month 12 were analyzed. At baseline, 43.9% were anemic and 26.7% were iron deficient. Immediately after intervention, iron syrup, but not MNPs, increased the mu alpha-band power, a measure that is associated with maturity and the production of motor actions (iron vs. placebo: mean difference = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.50 ??V2; P = 0.003; false discovery rate adjusted P = 0.015). Despite effects on hemoglobin and iron status, effects were not observed on the posterior alpha, beta, delta, and theta bands, nor were effects sustained at the 9-month follow-up. Conclusions: The effect size for immediate effects on the mu alpha-band power is comparable in magnitude with psychosocial stimulation interventions and poverty reduction strategies. However, overall, we did not find evidence for long-lasting changes in resting EEG power spectra from iron interventions in young Bangladeshi children. This trial was registered at www.anzctr.org.au as ACTRN12617000660381.

Background: Iron deficiency and anemia have been associated with poor cognition in children, yet the effects of iron supplementation on neurocognition remain unclear. Objective: We aimed to examine the effects of supplementation with iron on neural indices of habituation using auditory event-related brain potentials (ERPs). Methods: This substudy was nested within a 3-arm, double-blind, double-dummy, individual randomized trial in Bangladesh, in which 3300 8-mo-old children were randomly selected to receive 3 mo of daily iron syrup (12.5 mg iron), multiple micronutrient powders (MNPs) (including 12.5 mg iron), or placebo. Children were assessed after 3 mo of intervention (mo 3) and 9 mo thereafter (mo 12). The neurocognitive substudy comprised a randomly selected subset of children from the main trial. Brain activity elicited during an auditory roving oddball task was recorded using electroencephalography to provide an index of habituation. The differential response to a novel (deviant) compared with a repeated (standard) sound was examined. The primary outcome was the amplitude of the mismatch response (deviant minusstandard tone waveforms) at mo 3. Secondary outcomes included the deviant and standard tone-evoked amplitudes, N2 amplitude differences, and differences in mean amplitudes evoked by deviant tones presented in the second compared with first half of the oddball sequence at mo 3 and 12. Results: Data were analyzed from 329 children at month 3 and 363 at mo 12. Analyses indicated no treatment effects of iron interventions compared with placebo on the amplitude of the mismatch response (iron syrup compared with placebo: mean difference (MD) = 0.07 mu V [95% CI: similar to 1.22, 1.37]; MNPs compared with placebo: MD = 0.58 mu V [95% CI: similar to 0.74, 1.90]) nor any secondary ERP outcomes at mo 3 or 12, despite improvements in hemoglobin and ferritin concentrations from iron syrup and MNPs in this nested substudy. Conclusion: In Bangladeshi children with >40% anemia prevalence, iron or MNP interventions alone are insufficient to improve neural indices of habituation.

Background: Anemia affects 40% of pregnant women globally, leading to maternal mortality, premature birth, low birth weight, and poor baby development. Iron deficiency causes over 40% of anemia cases in Africa. Oral iron supplementation is insufficient for Low-and-Middle-Income-Countries (LMICs) to meet current WHO targets. We hypothesized that a single intravenous dose of Ferric Carboxymaltose (FCM) may be more effective than oral iron treatment for anemia recovery, particularly in these settings where women present late for antenatal care. Methods: This is a two-arm parallel open-label individual-randomized controlled trial in third trimester, in malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test-negative pregnant women with moderate or severe anemia - capillary hemoglobin <10 g/dL – who are randomized to receive either parenteral iron – with FCM – or standard-of-care oral iron for the remainder of pregnancy. This is the sister trial to the second-trimester REVAMP trial, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (trial registration ACTRN12618001268235, Gates Grant number INV-010612). In REVAMP-TT, recruitment and treatment are performed within primary health centers. The trial will recruit 590 women across Zomba district, Malawi. The primary outcome is the proportion of anemic women - venous hemoglobin <11 g/dL - at 36 weeks’ gestation or delivery (whichever occurs first). Other pre-specified key secondary clinical and safety outcomes include maternal iron-status and hypophosphatemia, neonate birth weight, infant growth and infant iron and hematological parameters. Discussion: This study will determine whether FCM, delivered within primary health centers, is effective, safe and feasible for treating moderate to severe anemia in third-trimester pregnant Malawian women. This intervention could have long-term benefits for maternal and child health, resulting in improved survival and child development.

Research indicates that heightened individual engagement in nature can improve psychological benefits of nature experiences, yet the current literature lacks robust consideration for how this occurs. Constrained nature experiences – such as busy, noisy urban environments – may undermine individual capacities to engage with nature, prompting the question of how engagement functions across different nature experiences. To address this gap, we draw on mindfulness as a framework to examine the pathways in which engagement in nature supports psychological restoration and connection with nature. We appraise existing literature and identify three key mechanisms underpinning mindful engagement in nature: perceptual sensitivity, decentering, and non-reactivity. This new framework provides a basis to examine mindful engagement in constrained nature experiences, where we find that the self-regulatory mechanisms of mindful engagement have a more direct role in supporting outcomes.

Difficulty with sustaining attention to a task is a hallmark of ADHD. It would be useful to know which measures of sustained attention best predict a diagnosis of ADHD. Participants were 129 children with a diagnosis of ADHD and 129 matched controls who completed the fixed Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). The number of commission and omission errors, standard deviation of response time (SDRT), tau, fast and slow frequency variability, d-prime, and mu were able to successfully classify children with and without ADHD. The mean response time, criterion, and sigma were not able to classify participants. The best classifiers were d-prime (0.75 Area Under the Receiver Operated Characteristic), tau (.74), SDRT (0.74), omission errors (0.72), commission errors (0.71), and SFAUS (0.70). This list of the best classifier measures derived from the SART may prove useful for the planning of future studies.

The negative impact of adverse experiences in childhood on neurodevelopment is well documented. Less attention however has been given to the impact of variations in "normative" parenting behaviors. The influence of these parenting behaviors is likely to be marked during periods of rapid brain reorganization, such as late childhood. The aim of the current study was to investigate associations between normative parenting behaviors and the development of structural brain networks across late childhood. Data were collected from a longitudinal sample of 114 mother-child dyads (54% female children, M age 8.41 years, SD = 0.32 years), recruited from low socioeconomic areas of Melbourne, Australia. At the first assessment parenting behaviors were coded from two lab-based interaction tasks and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the children were performed. At the second assessment, approximately 18 months later (M age 9.97 years, SD = 0.37 years) MRI scans were repeated. Cortical thickness (CT) was extracted from T1-weighted images using FreeSurfer. Structural covariance (SC) networks were constructed from partial correlations of CT estimates between brain regions and estimates of network efficiency and modularity were obtained for each time point. The change in these network measures, from Time 1 to Time 2, was also calculated. At Time 2, less positive maternal affective behavior was associated with higher modularity (more segregated networks), while negative maternal affective behavior was not related. No support was found for an association between local or global efficacy and maternal affective behaviors at Time 2. Similarly, no support was demonstrated for associations between maternal affective behaviors and change in network efficiency and modularity, from Time 1 to Time 2. These results indicate that normative variations in parenting may influence the development of structural brain networks in late childhood and extend current knowledge about environmental influences on structural connectivity in a developmental context.

Established in 1982, the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine is dedicated to acting as an international forum for the publication of research on the science and practice of psychiatry.Its main aim is to disseminate original scientific research to a national and international readership with the objective of improving clinical practice and service development in mental health.The journal advocates for delivering high quality clinical care and improvement in mental health services, and is committed to keeping the field of mental health vibrant and relevant by publishing research on novel topics.Particular strengths and unique features of the Journal include a focus on Clinical Psychiatry, Youth Mental Health and the History of Psychiatry, with regular features and special issues devoted to these topics.The Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine publishes research papers, short reports, review papers, editorials, case reports, historical papers, perspective pieces and book reviews.There are four editions published per year, for which rapid peer review process and publication is considered a priority.The journal regularly publishes special themed editions guest edited by internationally respected academics in a particular research field.With a progressive focus, the journal provides important reading for clinicians, researchers, policymakers and all professionals with an interest in mental health.