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Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is a multi-faceted construct influenced by a myriad of environmental, demographic, and individual characteristics. Our understanding of these influencers remains highly limited in neurodevelopmental conditions. Existing research in this area is sparse, highly siloed by diagnosis labels, and focused on symptoms. This review synthesized the evidence in this area using a multi-dimensional model of HRQoL and trans-diagnostically across neurodevelopmental conditions. The systematic review, conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Checklist, was completed in June 2023 using Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library. Our search revealed 78 studies that examined predictors of HRQoL in neurodevelopmental conditions. The majority of these studies focused on autism and ADHD with a paucity of literature in other conditions. Cross-diagnosis investigations were limited despite the fact that many of the examined predictors transcend diagnostic boundaries. Significant gaps were revealed in domains of biology/physiology, functioning, health perceptions, and environmental factors. Very preliminary evidence suggested potentially shared predictors of HRQoL across conditions including positive associations between HRQoL and adaptive functioning, male sex/gender, positive self-perception, physical activity, resources, and positive family context, and negative associations with diagnostic features and mental health symptoms. Studies of transdiagnostic predictors across neurodevelopmental conditions are critically needed to enable care models that address shared needs of neurodivergent individuals beyond diagnostic boundaries. Further understanding of HRQoL from the perspective of neurodivergent communities is a critical area of future work.

Background Anxiety is prevalent in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can negatively impact physical and mental health. Self-awareness of anxiety signs is a key barrier to success of anxiety interventions for many children. Methods To address this, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess whether the Anxiety Meter, a wearable, real-time anxiety detection technology, can improve awareness of anxiety symptoms and the initiation of relaxation techniques in children with ASD. Twenty-eight children with ASD were trained on the use of the Anxiety Meter and taught a diaphragmatic breathing relaxation technique over three visits. On the fourth visit, participants were randomized to either receive feedback of their anxiety level or no feedback from the Anxiety Meter while completing a stress-eliciting task (public speaking) and asked to engage in deep breathing if anxious. Results Feedback from the Anxiety Meter was associated with increased likelihood of initiating deep breathing in response to anxiety. Limitations Limitations include the small sample size, imbalanced group matching for IQ and sex, and the controlled-laboratory settings which limit the statistical power and generalizability of the results to real-world settings. Conclusions Although these results are limited by the relatively small sample size, they support the feasibility of using a wearable device and real-time feedback to improve anxiety symptom awareness. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02160691, registration date: 06/05/2014.

Depression is the most common mental disorder in pregnancy. An important risk factor in the development of prenatal depression is lifetime history of abuse. The current review quantitatively synthesized research on the association between history of abuse and prenatal depressive symptoms using a meta-analytic technique. A total of 3322 articles were identified through electronic searches of the following databases: PsycINFO, PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE Cochrane Collaboration databases between the years of 1980 and 2016. All were independently screened against the following inclusion criteria: articles reporting on original data that included measures of prenatal depression and abuse. Data were extracted by the first and second authors. Descriptive analyses were conducted using Excel version 15.32, and all analyses involving effect sizes were conducted using comprehensive meta-analysis (CMA) version 3.0. Seventy articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analyses. Meta-bias detected no publication bias. Abuse had a significant positive relation with prenatal depressive symptoms, with effect sizes in the moderate range for any abuse (r¯\\[ \\overline{r} \\] = 0.287), physical abuse (r¯\\[ \\overline{r} \\] = 0.271), sexual abuse (r¯\\[ \\overline{r} \\] = 0.259), and emotional abuse (r¯\\[ \\overline{r} \\] = 0.340; Cohen 1969. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Academic Press, New York). The meta-analyses found a robust relation between abuse and prenatal depressive symptoms holding across a variety of demographic and study design characteristics. These results reinforce the established association between trauma victimization and subsequent psychopathology, extending current knowledge to specifically address the under-studied area of prenatal depression. These findings highlight the need for women who have survived child or adulthood abuse to receive appropriate referral and psychological treatment to mitigate their risk for prenatal depression.

Neurodevelopmental conditions can be associated with decreased health-related quality of life; however, the predictors of these outcomes remain largely unknown. We characterized the predictors of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of neurodiverse children and youth. We used a cross-sectional subsample from the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders Network (POND) consisting of those children and young people in the POND dataset with complete study data (total n = 615; 31% female; age: 11.28 years ± 2.84 years). Using a structural equation model, we investigated the effects of demographics (age, sex, socioeconomic status), core features (Social Communication Questionnaire, Toronto Obsessive Compulsive Scale, Strengths and Weaknesses of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-symptoms and Normal Behavior), co-occurring symptoms (Child Behaviour Checklist), and adaptive functioning (Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System) on HRQoL (KINDL). A total of 615 participants had complete data for this study (autism = 135, ADHD = 273, subthreshold ADHD = 7, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) = 38, sub-threshold OCD = 1, neurotypical = 161). Of these participants, 190 (31%) identified as female, and 425 (69%) identified as male. The mean age was 11.28 years ± 2.84 years. Health-related quality of life was negatively associated with co-occurring symptoms (B = − 0.6, SE = 0.20, CI (− 0.95, − 0.19), p = 0.004)) and age (B = − 0.1, SE = 0.04, CI (− 0.19, − 0.01), p = 0.037). Fewer co-occurring symptoms were associated with higher socioeconomic status (B = − 0.5, SE = − 0.05, CI (− 0.58, − 0.37), p < 0.001). This study used a cross-sectional design. Given that one’s experiences, needs, supports, and environment and thus HrQoL may change significantly over the lifespan and a longitudinal analysis of predictors is needed to capture these changes. Future studies with more diverse participant groups are needed. These results demonstrate the importance of behavioural and sociodemographic characteristics on health-related quality of life across neurodevelopmental conditions.

Background: Therapies aimed at remediating cognitive deficits in schizophrenia vary widely in their approach and delivery of cognitive training. In healthy populations, rest breaks have been shown to improve attention, performance, and subjective experience of work or cognitive tasks. Neurophysiological research has demonstrated a relationship between on-task band power, performance, and working memory load. Objectives: The current study aimed to assess the effect of rest breaks during cognitive training in schizophrenia through examination of cognitive performance and improvement, mean theta and alpha power, and subjective measures focused on acceptability and intrinsic motivation. Methods: 24 participants with schizophrenia completed three working memory tasks to assess baseline functioning and were randomized into either interval or continuous cognitive training on the N-back task, each with a total of 10-minutes of on-task training. Immediately following training, subjects completed the three working memory tasks again to assess immediate change in performance, and again following a 30-minute period of respite to assess durable change. Continuous EEG was recorded throughout, and following completion participants’ subjective experience of training was assessed with a self-report questionnaire. Results: The interval training group performed significantly better than the continuous training group during the training period, however this did not lead to improvement differences at post-testing on the training task. For tasks not trained on, there was a trend for significantly greater improvement following interval training with medium effect size. No differences were observed in theta or alpha band power between groups during training, nor was band power found to be significantly correlated with task difficulty or performance. There were no significant differences between groups for subjective training experience. Discussion: Results suggest that incorporating rest intervals in cognitive training leads to greater performance during training and enhanced skills transfer to other domains of working memory. This observation could be due to memory retention benefits of the spacing effect in the interval condition. Alternatively, results could be due to mental fatigue and/or ego depletion in the continuous condition, leading to a reduced capacity for performance and improvement on non-trained tasks. Further research is needed to determine the underlying mechanism of improvement and transfer.

Now Hansen has joined 27 other [Nelson, Hansen] artists in an ambitious goal -- to raise the profile of his other work as a gold and silversmith in Wellington. From tomorrow Hansen, and others including furniture maker Mike Hindmarsh, photographer Craig Potton and a host of established and younger artists, will exhibit 87 works in Fine: Contemporary Nelson Art and Design at Wellington's Shed 11. The region also influences the art it produces, he says. \"You don't stay in Nelson unless you have a good reason. It's that simple. We don't get paid much in Nelson, but the cost of living is high. If you had no aversion to flying, you'd work in Wellington and just fly back every day. But the artist lives in Nelson because it's full of artistic resources.\" * Fine: Contemporary Nelson Art and Design is at Shed 11 from tomorrow till October 2. Other [Wellington] galleries and museums also have shows to coincide with WOW. Te Papa's Culture Moves! Dance Costumes of the Pacific runs today till August 1, 2006. It includes a talk at 11am tomorrow from the awards judges, including Oscar- winning The Lord of the Rings costume designer Ngila Dickson. On Sunday at noon designer Simon Hames will display his Excessive Accessories creature and from 2pm discuss his work in WOW, The Lord of the Rings and King Kong. Jo Torr's Tupaia's Paintbox, featuring elaborate gowns, continues at Michael Hirschfeld Gallery in City Gallery till October 9.

A Supreme Court decision yesterday ruled that former model maker and technician James Bryson was an employee of The Lord of the Rings production company Three Foot Six and not a self-employed contractor when he was made redundant in 2001. The ruling allows Mr Bryson to pursue a personal grievance case against Three Foot Six. While Mr Bryson's case went through the courts during the past three years, New Zealand's film industry feared any judgment in his favour could mean it would cost more to hire cast and crews and harder to fire them. Most people in the film industry, which employs about 12,000 people, are independent contractors. January 2003: Bryson wants to raise a personal grievance case against Three Foot Six. He can do so only if the Employment Relations Authority deems him an employee instead of a self- employed contractor. The authority rules that he is a contractor. Bryson appeals.

The article also described the \"directors' den\" [PETER JACKSON] and [Fran Walsh] have at their Seatoun home, which contains Lord of the Rings figures, movie books, a small collection of props used in the 1933 King Kong movie and a cardboard model of the Empire State Building which Jackson made when he was 13. \"To live the rest of your life trying to top Lord of the Rings would be a foolish and unsatisfying thing to do. So you set your sights on making a thoroughly entertaining movie so that people are not disappointed. It's highly unlikely King Kong will ever make more money than Lord of the Rings.\"

VETERAN Kiwi cinematographer Alun Bollinger has replaced Vincent Ward as the director of the trouble-plagued Kiwi film River Queen. Bollinger was cinematographer on Ward's first feature film, Vigil, and has worked on many major New Zealand films including Geoff Murphy's Goodbye Pork Pie,, Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners and Gaylene Preston's Perfect Strangers. His last directing credit was an episode of Ray Bradbury Theatre in the mid-1980s.