title: Exploring patterns of unwanted behaviours in adults with Prader-Willi syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obsessive-compulsive (O-C) traits, and excessive food intake are well known behavioural manifestations among individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). Other unwanted behaviours are also frequently observed, but they need a more specific investigation, especially in the adult population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The behaviour of 31 PWS adults was investigated via the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Symptom Checklist (Y-BOCS-SC), and the Prader-Willi Behavioural Checklist (PBC). The PBC is a quick screening questionnaire prompted specifically for the investigation on adults with PWS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical clustering revealed two patterns of unwanted behaviours from the PBC. Behaviours belonging to the first cluster (e.g., Excessive food intake, Skin picking) appear to be linked to the usual phenotypic manifestation of PWS. By contrast, many other behaviours (e.g., some O-C symptoms and aggressive actions) could show a relationship also to individual psychopathologies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both internal (Anxiety and Depression) and external (Hostility) difficulties in managing impulses should account for individually distinct behaviours in adults with PWS.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Piancavallo, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pignatti
authors.forename: Ileana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bertella
authors.forename: Graziano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grugni
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giardino
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Molinari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006963:Hyperphagia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010641:Phenotype; D011218:Prader-Willi Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Prader-Willi syndrome; behaviour; obsessive-compulsive disorder; psychological assessment