The cerebellum has been involved in social abilities and autism. Given that the cerebellum is connected to the cortex via the cerebello-thalamo-cortical loop, the connectivity between the cerebellum and cortical regions involved in social interactions, that is, the right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ) has been studied in individuals with autism, who suffer from prototypical deficits in social abilities. However, existing studies with small samples of categorical, case-control comparisons have yielded inconsistent results due to the inherent heterogeneity of autism, suggesting that investigating how clinical dimensions are related to cerebellar-rTPJ functional connectivity might be more relevant. Therefore, our objective was to study the functional connectivity between the cerebellum and rTPJ, focusing on its association with social abilities from a dimensional perspective in a transdiagnostic sample. We analyzed structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional MRI (fMRI) scans obtained during naturalistic films watching from a large transdiagnostic dataset, the Healthy Brain Network (HBN), and examined the association between cerebellum-rTPJ functional connectivity and social abilities measured with the social responsiveness scale (SRS). We conducted univariate seed-to-voxel analysis, multivariate canonical correlation analysis (CCA), and predictive support vector regression (SVR). We included 1404 subjects in the structural analysis (age: 10.516 ± 3.034, range: 5.822-21.820, 506 females) and 414 subjects in the functional analysis (age: 11.260 ± 3.318 years, range: 6.020-21.820, 161 females). Our CCA model revealed a significant association between cerebellum-rTPJ functional connectivity, full-scale IQ (FSIQ) and SRS scores. However, this effect was primarily driven by FSIQ as suggested by SVR and univariate seed-to-voxel analysis. We also demonstrated the specificity of the rTPJ and the influence of structural anatomy in this association. Our results suggest that there is a complex relationship between cerebellum-rTPJ connectivity, social performance and IQ. This relationship is specific to the cerebellum-rTPJ connectivity, and is largely related to structural anatomy in these two regions. PRACTITIONER POINTS: We analyzed cerebellum-right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) connectivity in a pediatric transdiagnostic sample. We found a complex relationship between cerebellum and rTPJ connectivity, social performance and IQ. Cerebellum and rTPJ functional connectivity is related to structural anatomy in these two regions.

To investigate the effects of empathy training on psychological concerns and empathy in caregivers of older people.
A randomized, double-blind, crossover, clinical trial with follow-up was conducted online. Thirty paid and unpaid caregivers of older people from different regions of Brazil participated in an empathy training program. The caregivers answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and measures for the evaluation of empathy (affective and cognitive domains), burden, the impact of providing care as well as depressive symptoms and psychiatric symptoms before and immediately after training. Empathy and its domains were also assessed at three post-intervention follow-ups.
Empathy training diminished levels of psychological concerns. Moreover, an increase was found in levels of cognitive empathy 15, 30 and 60 days after the intervention.
Empathy training with a focus on cognitive empathy diminished psychological concerns in caregivers of older people and increased the levels of this ability over time. This intervention can be considered a coping strategy for negative impacts related to providing care.
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BACKGROUND: For sustainable and healthy relationships with pets, attributing some degree of human abilities to the pet (anthropomorphization) might be necessary. We hypothesize that the tendency to anthropomorphize pet animals is related to relationship behaviors (communication and making up) and the experience of social support. Perceiving the pet in a human social role (e.g., family member or friend) might mediate this relationship.
METHODS: Associations were tested in a mixed sample of cat and dog owners by means of multiple linear regression, moderation, and (moderated) mediation analyses. The differences between cat and dog owners were examined with pet type as the moderator in a moderated mediation analysis.
RESULTS: Dog owners anthropomorphize their pets more than cat owners. The social role of the pet mediates the association between anthropomorphization and relationship behavior and social support. The mediation effects were stronger for cat owners than for dog owners. Moreover, our newly developed comparative anthropomorphism measure was a better predictor than the commonly used general anthropomorphism measure (IDAQ).

Background: Social abilities include interpersonal skills, interaction, and social responsibility. The nature of these abilities has not been explored in young people with Down syndrome (DS) during the social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The aim of this online study was to describe the social profile of a group of 30 Mexican people with DS, with a chronological age of 15-29 years, and explore the variables related to their psychosocial profiles. A sociodemographic questionnaire, mental age examination, and socialization battery were applied. Social behavior was analyzed in domains that facilitate socialization (leadership, joviality, social sensitivity, respect/self-control), in domains that disrupt socialization (aggressiveness/stubbornness, apathy/withdrawal, anxiety/shyness), and on a global scale. Results: Participants\' scores in the facilitative domains were above average, and their scores in the disruptive domains were below average, as expected. Scores on the respect/self-control scale were associated with chronological age (CA), and those on the global scale with mental age (MA). Discussion: No impairments were found in the social skills of young people with DS according to the parameters of the scale. The development of the social profile with CA and MA stimulates cognition and promotes independence, autonomy, and proactivity. Parents\' role in regulating children\'s behavior was an important factor in managing their social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become more widely used in the past years to help people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Serious games embedded into computers or tablets, as well as social robots, are the most employed ICT-related tools that are appealing to and appropriate for autistic children. The goal of ICT applications is to enhance behavioral abnormalities associated with ASC while also creating an interactive link between one person and one computer. Comparatively, to human-based therapy, ICT tools aid to inspire autistic children by providing predictability and regularity of tasks. Regaining social skills is the primary behavioral goal for which ICT tools have been designed and implemented. In the past several years, many studies have been created to show how effective it is at improving targeted behaviors. However, only a small number of researchers have used an RCT approach to evaluate its effectiveness. In this systematic review, we only included RCT studies where ICT technologies were used to help children with ASC in improving their social skills. Only 14 RCT studies satisfied the criteria and 12 described significant improvements, showing how the use of technology in educational contexts produced better improvement in developing several social skill facets with respect to the traditional face-to-face approach. Some studies used interventions and outcome measures focused on the core ASC symptoms, but many others addressed neurocognitive functions directly, like social cognition or emotional regulation, while other more general functions such as language or adaptive behaviors. We propose a classification based on processes and outcome measures to foster future research in this specific area of research. The behavioral intervention mediated by technological tools such as computer-based, tablet, and social robotics, undoubtedly provides a comfortable environment that promotes constant learning for people with ASC. Evidence provided in this review highlights the translational potential of this field of study in primary care practice and educational settings.

Event knowledge, a person\'s understanding of patterns of activities in the world, is crucial for everyday social interactions. Social communication differences are prominent in autism, which may be related to atypical event knowledge, such as atypical knowledge of the sequences of activities that comprise the temporal structure of events. Previous research has found that autistic individuals have atypical event knowledge, but research in this area is minimal, particularly regarding autistic individuals\' knowledge of the temporal structure of events. Furthermore, no studies have investigated the link between event knowledge and autistic traits in a non-clinical sample. We investigated relationships between event knowledge and autistic traits in individuals from the general population with varying degrees of autistic traits. We predicted that atypical ordering of event activities is related to autistic traits, particularly social communication abilities, but not other clinical traits. In Study 1, atypical ordering of event activities correlated with social ability, but not with most measures of repetitive behaviours and restricted interests. In Study 2, the typicality of activity ordering varied by participants\' social ability and the social nature of the events. Relationships were not found between event activity ordering and other clinical traits. These findings suggest a relationship between autistic traits, specifically social abilities, and knowledge of the temporal structure of events in a general population sample.

This article analyzes the relationship between cyberbullying profile by racist reasons and social abilities in a group of intercultural teenagers living in Spain (N = 1478). The study includes participants aged between 12 and 16 years old (M = 13.99; SD = 1.352). Of these, 738 were male (49.9%) and 740 were female (50.1%). A correlational study was carried out using online tools with suitable psychometrics parameters (content-construct validity and reliability). The first one was a scale that measured social abilities, and the second one evaluated racist or xenophobic cyberbullying, differentiating the victim and aggressor profiles. The results indicated five main findings: (1) generally, the participants analyzed present all their social abilities; (2) for the most part, these participants do not normally experience cyberbullying; (3) a positive correlation exists between the majority of social abilities analyzed and the cybervictim profile. It was also observed a negative correlation between the social ability associated with the ability of making requests and this profile; (4) there is a positive correlation among the six social abilities analyzed and the cyberaggressor profile; (5) the racist or xenophobic cyberbullying are driven not only by the absence of social abilities, but in some cases, they are also driven by socio-demographic variables (i.e., age and gender). Likewise, this work shows how the absence of some social abilities in some participants involve racist or xenophobic experiences as victims and as aggressors, which may be of interest for the analysis of teenagers\' behavior in intercultural contexts, as well as according to age and gender. More transcultural research need to be carried out to know the global perspective of the link between social abilities and the different profiles of racist and xenophobic cyberbullying, framed in the context of social psychology and studies of mass communication.

OBJECTIVE: : This study used network analyses to examine network structures reflecting interactions between specific domains of social functioning in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD).
METHODS: We used the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) to assess six domains of social functioning (\'cognition\', \'mobility\', \'self-care\', \'getting along\', \'life activities\', and \'participation\') in 143 patients with SZ, 81 patients with BD, and 106 healthy subjects. We constructed regularized partial correlation networks, estimated network centrality and edge strength, tested network stability, and compared SZ and BD network structures.
RESULTS: Patients with SZ showed a significantly higher level of functional disability than patients with BD. In the networks we constructed, \'cognition\' was the most central domain of social functioning in both SZ and BD. The \'cognition\' domain was primarily associated with the \'getting along\' domain in the SZ network and the \'life activities\' domain in the BD network. We found no significant group-level differences in network structures for SZ vs. BD.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that cognition may play a pivotal role in social functioning in both SZ and BD. In addition, domains of social functioning in SZ and BD have similar network structures despite the higher level of disability in SZ compared to BD.

OBJECTIVE: Different studies centered on social relationship issues among ADHD children struggled to provide a unicist explanation between primary social cognition process alteration on the one hand and a mere symptomatic outcome of the disorder triad on the other. Some authors support the idea of a potential \"social phenotype\" shared at a different intensity by Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The point of the study is to characterize this possible social disability in a French ADHD population and compare it to control subjects and subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
METHODS: Three groups, composed of 319 subjects aged 6 to 12 years, were recruited in Bordeaux: 88 untreated ADHD subjects, 24 ASD subjects and 207 control subjects. The main measure was the social skill disruption through the rating of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). The ADHD-RS-IV, WFIRS-P and CBCL scales were also used.
RESULTS: Asignificant alteration in social abilities in ADHD children in comparison with controls was noted, with an average raw total SRS score intermediary between the control group and the ASD group (respectively 65.31±20.99, 37.15±16.37 and 95 75±30.83, P<0.05). When the 5 sub-scores of the SRS were taken into account, if the ASD subjects showed the highest average scores, the alteration pattern appeared qualitatively similar between the ADHD and TSA groups, with also an intermediate dispersion for the ADHD group between the control group and the group with ASD. Finally, more severe impairment of social skills in children with ADHD was associated with increased severity of the disorder (on ADHD-RS-IV scale cotation), higher daily functional impact (WFIRS-P scale), and more frequent behavioral issues (according to CBCL).
CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the presence of social disturbances in ADHD and characterize a symptomatic profile qualitatively similar to that of ASD, but of less intensity. Overall results promote a need for a systematic dimensional assessment of social disability in ADHD.

The oxytocinergic system is highly involved in social bonding and early caregiver-infant interactions. Here, we hypothesize that oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene genotype and parental bonding history interact in influencing social development. To address this question, we assessed adult males\' arousal (heart rate changes) in response to different distress vocalizations (human female, human infant and bonobo). Region rs53576 of the OXTR gene was genotyped from buccal mucosa cell samples, and a self-report Parental Bonding Instrument was used (which provide information about parental care or parental overprotection). A significant gene-environment interaction between OXTR genotype and parenting style was found to influence participants\' social responsivity to female cry vocalizations. Specifically, a history of appropriate paternal care in participants accentuated the heightened social sensitivity determined by G/G homozygosity, while higher versus lower paternal overprotection lead to distinct levels of physiological arousal particularly in A carriers individuals. These results add to our understanding of the dynamic interplay between genetic susceptibility and early environmental experience in shaping the development of appropriate social sensitivity in males.