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Porter-Vignola E, Booij L, Dansereau-Laberge ÈM, Garel P, Bossé Chartier G, Seni AG, Beauchamp MH, Herba CM. Social cognition and depression in adolescent girls. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2022; 76:101750. [PMID: 35738696 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbtep.2022.101750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Depression has been associated with alterations in social functioning. Decoding and understanding others' mental states and adaptive reasoning are important for social functioning. This study examined theory of mind (ToM) and socio-moral reasoning (SMR) in adolescent girls with and without depression. Within the depression group, we examined associations between relevant clinical features (depression severity, anxiety symptoms and borderline personality traits) and ToM and SMR. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted, whereby 43 adolescent girls (mean age = 16.19, SD = 1.24) meeting full or subthreshold criteria for depression and 40 adolescent girls (mean age = 15.44, SD = 1.24) with no psychiatric diagnosis were recruited. ToM was assessed using the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition; SMR was evaluated via the Socio-Moral Reasoning Aptitude Level task. RESULTS Analyses of covariance indicated that adolescents with depression did not differ from controls in ToM abilities but showed lower socio-maturity scores on the SMR task. This difference disappeared after controlling for the number of words used to justify responses. Amongst adolescents with depression, multiple linear regression analyses revealed that higher levels of borderline personality traits were associated with lower levels of mentalization (ToM task), and more severe depressive symptoms were associated with lower socio-moral maturity stages (SMR task) LIMITATIONS: Directional associations were not studied, and the sample included only girls. CONCLUSIONS Findings may help to explain clinical heterogeneity in social cognitive functioning observed in individuals with depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyse Porter-Vignola
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Canada; Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada
| | - Linda Booij
- Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Université de Montreal, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Ève Marie Dansereau-Laberge
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Canada; Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada
| | - Patricia Garel
- Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Université de Montreal, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - Anne G Seni
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Miriam H Beauchamp
- Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Catherine M Herba
- Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Canada; Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Université de Montreal, Montreal, Canada.
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Dempsey EE, Moore C, Johnson SA, Stewart SH, Smith IM. Moral Foundations Theory Among Autistic and Neurotypical Children. Front Psychol 2022; 12:782610. [PMID: 35095668 PMCID: PMC8795511 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.782610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Morality can help guide behavior and facilitate relationships. Although moral judgments by autistic people are similar to neurotypical individuals, many researchers argue that subtle differences signify deficits in autistic individuals. Moral foundation theory describes moral judgments in terms of differences rather than deficits. The current research, aimed at assessing autistic individuals' moral inclinations using Haidt's framework, was co-designed with autistic community members. Our aim was to describe autistic moral thinking from a strengths-based perspective while acknowledging differences that may pose interpersonal challenges among autistic youth. We assessed 25 autistic and 23 neurotypical children's moral judgments using the Moral Foundations Questionnaire for Kids. We used semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis with a subset of participants to describe children's moral reasoning. Analyses suggested that autistic and neurotypical children make similar judgments about moral transgressions across all five moral foundations. General linear mixed modeling showed that the greatest predictor of recommending punishment was how bad children deemed moral transgressions to be. We also found a trend that autistic children were more likely to recommend punishment for harmless norms violations than were neurotypical children. Future research could use longitudinal methods to understand the development of moral judgments among autistic and neurotypical children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chris Moore
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Shannon A. Johnson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Sherry H. Stewart
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Isabel M. Smith
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Autism Research Centre, IWK Health, Halifax, NS, Canada
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de Vries L, Fouquaet I, Boets B, Naulaers G, Steyaert J. Autism spectrum disorder and pupillometry: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 120:479-508. [PMID: 33172600 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Pupillometry, measuring pupil size and reactivity, has been proposed as a measure of autonomic nervous system functioning, the latter which might be altered in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aims to evaluate if pupillary responses differ in individuals with and without ASD. After performing a systematic literature search, we conducted a meta-analysis and constructed a qualitative synthesis. The meta-analysis shows a longer latency of the pupil response in the ASD-group as a substantial group difference, with a Hedges' g of 1.03 (95% CI 0.49-1.56, p = 0.008). Evidence on baseline pupil size and amplitude change is conflicting. We used the framework method to perform a qualitative evaluation of these differences. Explanations for the group differences vary between studies and are inconclusive, but many authors point to involvement of the autonomous nervous system and more specifically the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system. Pupillometry reveals differences between people with and without ASD, but the exact meaning of these differences remains unknown. Future studies should align research designs and investigate a possible effect of maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyssa de Vries
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Child Psychiatry, UPC KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Iris Fouquaet
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gunnar Naulaers
- Department of Development and Regeneration, University Hospitals Leuven, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean Steyaert
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Child Psychiatry, UPC KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Margoni F, Guglielmetti G, Surian L. Brief Report: Young Children with Autism Can Generate Intent-Based Moral Judgments. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:5078-5085. [PMID: 31489539 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04212-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Past research suggested that, due to difficulties in mentalistic reasoning, individuals with autism tend to base their moral judgments on the outcome of agents' actions rather than on agents' intentions. In a novel task, aimed at reducing the processing demands required to represent intentions and generate a judgment, autistic children were presented with agents that accidentally harmed or attempted but failed to harm others and were asked to judge those agents. Most of the times, children blamed the character who attempted to harm and exculpated the accidental wrongdoer, suggesting that they generated intent-based moral judgments. These findings suggest that processing limitations rather than lack of conceptual competence explain the poor performance reported in previous research on moral judgment in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Margoni
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Corso Bettini 31, 38068, Rovereto, TN, Italy.
| | | | - Luca Surian
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Corso Bettini 31, 38068, Rovereto, TN, Italy.
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