Wioletta Radziwiłłowicz

Neurodevelopmental Disorders – Diagnosis, the Clinical Image and Its Dynamics: Contemporary Questions and Directions for Exploration

The article is an attempt to analyze the contemporary results of research on neurodevelopmental disorders in order to advance the search for various diagnostic approaches, predictors of a negative course of development, and changes in the dynamics of symptoms. The authors, based on a literature review, show that different levels of susceptibility to negative events are not a simple consequence of a specific NDD diagnosis [i.e., autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or ADHD] but also depend on the interaction of genetic factors (i.e., the general phenotype of NDD, which depends on spontaneous genetic mutations or changes in the number of copies of DNA fragments) and prenatal and perinatal environmental factors.

The factor influence and the severity of depressive symptoms among women in early adulthood

The biological changes in adolescence among girls are the basis for the emergence of depressive symptoms, however these symptoms can also be a consequence of a negative body self formation. The aim of the study was to analyze the relationship between experiencing their own body self (manifested in the experience of intimate relations with the men, acceptance of one’s body, attitude towards eating and body weight, disclosure of femininity), attachment styles, age ofonset of menarche, BMI, occurrence of mental illness in family and severity of depressive symptoms among women aged 18-25 years, and to determine the impact of these variables on the severity of depressive symptoms. The results show a weak relationship between age ofonset of menarche and the level of acceptance of one’s body and disclosure of femininity. Moreover, a moderate relationship exists between age ofonset of menarche and the severity of depressive symptoms, and between the strength of body self and the severity of depressive symptoms and attachment styles. Predictors of depressive symptoms are: low acceptance of one’s body, anxiety - ambivalent attachment style and the occurrence of mental illness in family.