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Psychopathology in boys with Tourette syndrome: Effects of age on the relationship between psychological and physical symptoms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2008

Linda J. Koenig  and
Robert A. Bornstein
Linda J. Koenig*
Affiliation:
Emory University
Robert A. Bornstein
Affiliation:
Ohio State University
*
Linda J. Koenig, Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322.
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Abstract

Tourette syndrome (TS), a neuropsychiatric disorder that presents in childhood and is characterized by recurrent tics, is often associated with a variety of psychological problems. Most studies of concomitant problems have focused on psychiatric comorbidity, with less attention paid to nonsyndrome-specific or subsyndromal emotional and behavioral difficulties. Moreover, little is known about the factors that influence the specificity or severity of psychological problems. We hypothesized that level and type of psychological problem would be influenced by both severity of illness and developmental period. Children with severe tics were predicted to show increased levels of externalizing (undercontrolled) behavior, whereas adolescents with severe tics were predicted to show increased levels of internalizing (overcontrolled) behavior. Forty-one boys with TS were rated by their parents for tic severity (simple and complex motor tics) and psychological symptoms (Connors Parent Symptom Questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist). Results partially confirmed the hypothesis, indicating that greater illness severity was associated with greater psychological disturbance, but only in the younger subjects. Among the adolescents, even those with mild tics demonstrated relatively high levels of psychological symptoms. However, there was no indication that developmental period was related to the specific type of problem manifested. Regardless of age, patients with severe tics domonstrated high levels of externalizing behavior, and relatively high levels of internalizing behavior were also seen. Results are discussed in terms of the developmental factors that might influence the relationship between psychological and physical symptoms in children with TS.

Type
Research Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , April 1992 , pp. 271 - 285
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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