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APA Journal of Abnormal Psychology
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The first onset of major depressive disorder (MDD) most frequently occurs in young adulthood. However, few studies have examined predictors of first lifetime MDD during this high-risk period. The present study examined a broad range of demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables as prospective predictors of first onset of MDD in a large community sample of young adults (N = 502) from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project. Between ages 19–31, 35.3% of the sample had a first lifetime MDD episode. Female gender, familial loading of mood disorders, history of childhood sexual abuse, prior history of anxiety disorder, poor self-reported physical health, and subthreshold depressive symptoms significantly predicted MDD onset. In a multivariate model, female gender, familial loading of mood disorders, and subthreshold depression each contributed unique variance in predicting first lifetime MDD. This model had a moderate-to-large effect in predicting MDD onset. Gender did not moderate the other predictors, and the magnitude of the effects did not diminish over the course of the follow-up. These findings indicate that a number of risk factors significantly predict first lifetime MDD in young adulthood, and that simple multivariate risk models may be useful for identifying individuals at high risk for MDD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
In the present study, we sought to examine information seeking among individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD, n = 31) and nonanxious controls (n = 32) during an impression-formation task. Participants were given an initial description of a protagonist that included polarized information on the social rank dimension (i.e., dominant or submissive) or on the affiliation dimension (i.e., friendly or unfriendly). Participants were told that their task was to rate the protagonist on social rank and affiliation traits and were given the opportunity to obtain additional information in order to make their decisions. Results indicated that compared to controls, individuals with SAD sought less information before making social rank ratings. In addition, individuals with SAD rated dominant protagonists as higher in social rank than did controls. These findings suggest that even in nonevaluative conditions, individuals with SAD may have an information-seeking bias. In addition, individuals with SAD may have a bias in forming impressions of dominant others. Implications for cognitive and interpersonal models of SAD are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Self-control is the capacity to exert control over one's behavior and is necessary for directing personal behavior toward achieving goals. Self-control has been described as operating within a resource model, and a lack of self-control has been posited as a process that may impact the development or maintenance of various forms of psychopathology. Hoarding disorder is one phenomenon wherein self-control may play a substantial role, and this investigation represents the first empirical evaluation of self-control in relation to hoarding symptoms. Across three independent studies, we found that lower levels of self-control were robustly linked to greater hoarding symptoms. Study 1 (N = 484) examined the strength of the relationship in a large nonclinical sample, and found that low levels of self-control were strongly associated with greater hoarding symptoms. This relationship remained significant despite controlling for covariates, including general depression and anxiety symptoms, specific anxiety symptomatology, and symptoms linked to impulse control deficits. These findings were replicated in Study 2 (N = 135), where we compared levels of self-control in individuals with clinical hoarding, obsessive–compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Study 3 (N = 102) was an experimental investigation that considered the impact of a self-control manipulation on a behavioral index of hoarding symptoms. We found that depleting self-control resources was associated with an increase in subsequent saving behaviors. The implications of self-control for hoarding are discussed from a vulnerability standpoint. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Reports an error in "Developmental emergence of alcohol use disorder symptoms and their potential as early indicators for progression to alcohol dependence in a high risk sample: A longitudinal study from childhood to early adulthood" by Anne Buu, Wei Wang, Stephanie A. Schroder, Natalia L. Kalaida, Leon I. Puttler and Robert A. Zucker (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2012[Nov], Vol 121[4], 897-908). The study assessment graphic located on the third page of the article printed incorrectly. The graphic appears correctly in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-17870-001.) This study characterized developmental emergence of individual alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms, and evaluated their ability as early indicators of progression into alcohol dependence (AD), conditional upon gender, parental alcohol dependence, early onset of drinking, and level of delinquent behavior at onset. The two parameters of interest were (a) likelihood of specific AUD symptom appearance once drinking has begun, and (b) primacy of symptom appearance as an indicator of likelihood for eventual move into diagnosis. We analyzed prospective data from a community sample of high risk youth from childhood to early adulthood. Symptoms that were at higher probability of being experienced at drinking onset and that could serve as good indicators for the early stage of disease progression were: persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to control alcohol use (AD4), and continued use despite having persistent or recurrent interpersonal problems (AA4). Tolerance (AD1) may serve as an indicator for the intermediate stage of progression. Young people tended to be at an elevated risk for developing AD6 (activities given up), AD7 (physical/psychological problems), and AA3 (legal problems) in later years so these symptoms may be good indicators for later stages of progression. In addition to being male, an early onset drinker, or high in delinquent behavior, drinkers who experienced AA4 or AD1 as first symptoms were at higher risk for progression to AD. We also identified two high risk clusters: late onset drinkers with AA4 as first symptom, and children of alcoholics with AD1 as first symptom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Parental emotional distress, particularly high maternal anxiety, is one of the most consistent predictors of child anxiety treatment outcome. In order to identify the cognitive, affective, and behavioral parenting characteristics of mothers of children with anxiety disorders who themselves have an anxiety disorder, we assessed the expectations, appraisals, and behaviors of 88 mothers of anxious children (44 mothers who were not anxious [NONANX] and 44 mothers with a current anxiety disorder [ANX]) when interacting with their 7–12-year-old children. There were no observed differences in anxiety and avoidance among children of ANX and NONANX mothers, but, compared with NONANX mothers, ANX mothers held more negative expectations, and they differed on observations of intrusiveness, expressed anxiety, warmth, and the quality of the relationship. Associations were moderated by the degree to which children expressed anxiety during the tasks. Maternal-reported negative emotions during the task significantly mediated the association between maternal anxiety status and the observed quality of the relationship. These findings suggest that maternal anxiety disorder is associated with reduced tolerance of children's negative emotions. This may interfere with the maintenance of a positive, supportive mother-child interaction under conditions of stress and, as such, this may impede optimum treatment outcomes. The findings identify potential cognitive, affective, and behavioral targets to improve treatment outcomes for children with anxiety disorders in the context of a current maternal anxiety disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Although social anxiety disorder appears to confer impairment in friendships, evidence beyond self-report is minimal. We used the flexible iterated prisoner's dilemma as a simulated interaction with a friend with 27 individuals with the generalized type of social anxiety disorder and 23 demographically equivalent individuals without the disorder. Participants with generalized social anxiety disorder were less giving on the task. Lower giving was also moderately associated with interpersonal variables (e.g., coldness). A trend was also found for participants with generalized social anxiety disorder to show lower assertiveness on the task. The connection between generalized social anxiety disorder and friendship impairment appears likely to be partially explained by interpersonal constraint that is perceived by others as coldness and manifests in a behavioral economics task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Identifying factors that may protect individuals from developing Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in the face of stress is critical. In the current study we experimentally tested whether such a potentially protective factor, engaging in acute exercise, reduces the adverse effects of repeated sad mood inductions in individuals who have recovered from depression. We hypothesized that recovered depressed participants who engage in acute exercise report a smaller increase in negative affect (NA) and a smaller decrease in positive affect (PA) when exposed to a repeated sad mood induction (i.e., habituation), whereas participants who do not exercise show sensitization (i.e., increased NA and decreased PA in response to a repeated adverse stimulus). Forty-one women recovered from MDD and 40 healthy control women were randomly assigned to either exercise for 15 minutes or quiet rest. Afterward, participants were exposed to two sad mood inductions and reported their levels of affect throughout the study. Recovered depressed participants who had not exercised exhibited higher NA after the second sad mood induction, a finding consistent with sensitization. In contrast, both recovered depressed participants who had engaged in acute exercise and healthy control participants showed no increase in NA in response to the repeated sad mood induction. Participants who exercised reported higher PA after the exercise bout; however, our hypothesis concerning reported PA trajectories following the sad mood inductions was not supported. Results suggest that exercise can serve as a protective factor in the face of exposure to repeated emotional stressors, particularly concerning NA in individuals who have recovered from depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Adolescent dating and sexual activity are consistently associated with risk for depression, yet the pathways underlying this association remain uncertain. Using data on 1,551 sibling pairs (ages 13–18) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the current study utilized a sibling comparison design to assess whether adolescent dating, sexual intercourse with a romantic partner, and sexual intercourse with a nonromantic partner were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms independent of familial factors. Results indicated that adolescent dating, in and of itself, was not associated with depressive symptoms. The association between depressive symptoms and sexual activity with a romantic partner was fully accounted for by between-family genetic and shared environmental confounds. In contrast, sexual activity with a nonromantic partner was significantly associated with both mean levels of depressive symptoms and clinically severe depression, even within sibling dyads. This relationship was greater for younger adolescents (<15 years). These results are consistent with a growing body of research demonstrating that relationship contexts may be critical moderators of the psychosocial aspects of adolescent sexual experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
The current longitudinal study tested hypotheses about Nolen-Hoeksema's (1987, 1991) response styles theory (RST) of depression in a sample of child and adolescent public school students. Wave 1 measures of rumination, distraction, and depression were obtained 6 months prior to the 2010 Nashville flood. Similar measures plus a measure of flood-related stressors were administered at Wave 2, approximately ten days after students returned to school after the flood. Results revealed an indirect effect of preflood rumination on postflood depressive symptoms via the intervening variable of postflood rumination, and partial mediation of the effect of preflood depression on postflood depression. Further, the interaction of rumination with flood-related stressors was moderated by age, suggesting that rumination may not become a strong cognitive diathesis for depression until adolescence. Developmental implications emerged for the treatment of child and adolescent victims of natural disasters and for the application of RST to children and adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
This study examined whether attentional biases for emotional information are associated with impaired mood recovery following a sad mood induction among individuals with and without major depressive disorder (MDD). Attentional biases were assessed with an exogenous cuing task using emotional facial expressions as cues among adults with (n = 48) and without (n = 224) current MDD. Mood reactivity and recovery were measured following a sad mood induction. Mood reactivity strongly predicted mood recovery; however, this relationship was moderated by attentional biases for negative emotional stimuli. Biases for sad and fear stimuli were associated with diminished mood recovery following mood induction across the sample. However, biases for sad stimuli were associated with significantly greater impairments in mood recovery among individuals with MDD than healthy controls. Furthermore, within the MDD group, impaired mood recovery was positively associated with depression severity. These results suggest that attentional biases maintain depression, in part, by facilitating the persistence of sad mood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Multivariate comorbidity research indicates mood and anxiety (internalizing) disorders share one or more common liabilities, but categorical, dimensional, and hybrid accounts of these liabilities have not been directly compared. We modeled seven internalizing disorders in a nationally representative sample of 43,093 individuals via confirmatory factor, latent class, exploratory factor mixture, and exploratory structural equation modeling analyses. A two-dimensional (distress-fear) liability structure fit best and replicated across gender, assessment waves, and lifetime/12-month diagnoses. These liabilities, not disorder-specific variation, predicted future internalizing pathology, suicide attempts, angina, and ulcer. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Previous research has shown that adolescent girls tend to resemble their friends in their level of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. However, no studies to date have attempted to disentangle the underlying peer selection and socialization processes that may explain this homophily. The current study used longitudinal stochastic actor-based modeling to simultaneously examine these two processes in a large community sample of adolescent girls (N = 1,197) from nine Australian girls' high schools. Friendship nominations and measures of body dissatisfaction, dieting and bulimic behaviors were collected across three annual waves. Results indicated that selection rather than socialization effects contributed to similarity within friendship groups when both processes were examined simultaneously. Specifically, girls tended to select friends who were similar to themselves in terms of body dissatisfaction and bulimic behaviors, but dissimilar in terms of dieting. Network and individual attribute variables also emerged as significant in explaining changes in adolescents' friendships and behaviors. As well as having important clinical implications, the findings point to the importance of controlling for friendship selection when examining the role of peers in adolescent body image and eating problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Research supports both concurrent and prospective associations between peer behaviors and disordered eating levels in late adolescent and young adult men and women. However, no study has examined peer influence after a follow-up duration over which peer groups change dramatically. This study examined how college roommates' dieting predicted disordered eating levels in women (n = 566) and men (n = 233) at 10-year follow-up. For women, college roommates' dieting significantly predicted Eating Disorder Inventory Drive for Thinness and Bulimia scores and purging at 10-year follow-up. Findings highlight the potential for school-based, peer-led interventions to have long-term benefits in women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data suggest that global negative affect (NA) increases prior to and decreases following episodes of binge eating and purging, providing support for the affect regulation model of BN. The current study examined whether facets of NA are differentially related to bulimic behaviors. Women with bulimia nervosa (BN; n = 133) completed a 2-week EMA protocol. Momentary assessments of 4 facets of NA (Fear, Guilt, Hostility, and Sadness) were derived from the PANAS subscales. Trajectories of the NA facets were modeled prior to and following binge-only, purge-only, and binge/purge events. Fear, Guilt, Hostility, and Sadness increased prior to and decreased following binge-only and binge/purge events. The same results were found for purge-only events, with the exception that Hostility did not increase significantly prior to purging. Notably, ratings of Guilt were higher than those of Fear, Hostility, and Sadness at the time of binge-only and binge/purge events. Furthermore, post hoc analyses demonstrate that Guilt increased prior to and decreased following the 3 behavior types, even after controlling for Fear, Hostility, and Sadness. These results provide further support for the affect regulation model of BN and also suggest that guilt may be particularly important to the pathology of BN. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
The goal of the current study was to examine whether genetic and environmental influences on an important risk factor for disordered eating, weight and shape concern, remained stable over adolescence. This stability was assessed in 2 ways: whether new sources of latent variance were introduced over development and whether the magnitude of variance contributing to the risk factor changed. We examined an 8-item WSC subscale derived from the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) using telephone interviews with female adolescents. From 3 waves of data collected from female–female same-sex twin pairs from the Australian Twin Registry, a subset of the data (which included 351 pairs at Wave 1) was used to examine 3 age cohorts: 12 to 13, 13 to 15, and 14 to 16 years. The best-fitting model contained genetic and environmental influences, both shared and nonshared. Biometric model fitting indicated that nonshared environmental influences were largely specific to each age cohort, and results suggested that latent shared environmental and genetic influences that were influential at 12 to 13 years continued to contribute to subsequent age cohorts, with independent sources of both emerging at ages 13 to 15. The magnitude of all 3 latent influences could be constrained to be the same across adolescence. Ages 13 to 15 were indicated as a time of risk for the development of high levels of WSC, given that most specific environmental risk factors were significant at this time (e.g., peer teasing about weight, adverse life events), and indications of the emergence of new sources of latent genetic and environmental variance over this period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 122(1) of Journal of Abnormal Psychology (see record 2012-30454-001). In this article, the name of author S. Alexandra Burt was misprinted as Alexandra S. Burt. All versions of this article have been corrected.] Studies suggest that within-person changes in estrogen and progesterone predict changes in binge eating across the menstrual cycle. However, samples have been extremely small (maximum N = 9), and analyses have not examined the interactive effects of hormones that are critical for changes in food intake in animals. The aims of the current study were to examine ovarian hormone interactions in the prediction of within-subject changes in emotional eating in the largest sample of women to date (N = 196). Participants provided daily ratings of emotional eating and saliva samples for hormone measurement for 45 consecutive days. Results confirmed that changes in ovarian hormones predict changes in emotional eating across the menstrual cycle, with a significant estradiol × progesterone interaction. Emotional eating scores were highest during the midluteal phase, when progesterone peaks and estradiol demonstrates a secondary peak. Findings extend previous work by highlighting significant interactions between estrogen and progesterone that explain midluteal increases in emotional eating. Future work should explore mechanisms (e.g., gene–hormone interactions) that contribute to both within- and between-subjects differences in emotional eating. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Reports an error in "The Interactive Effects of Estrogen and Progesterone on Changes in Emotional Eating Across the Menstrual Cycle" by Kelly L. Klump, Pamela K. Keel, Sarah E. Racine, S. Alexandra Burt, Michael Neale, Cheryl L. Sisk, Steven Boker and Jean Yueqin Hu (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Advanced Online Publication, Aug 13, 2012, np). In this article, the name of author S. Alexandra Burt was misprinted as Alexandra S. Burt. All versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2012-21637-001.) Studies suggest that within-person changes in estrogen and progesterone predict changes in binge eating across the menstrual cycle. However, samples have been extremely small (maximum N = 9), and analyses have not examined the interactive effects of hormones that are critical for changes in food intake in animals. The aims of the current study were to examine ovarian hormone interactions in the prediction of within-subject changes in emotional eating in the largest sample of women to date (N = 196). Participants provided daily ratings of emotional eating and saliva samples for hormone measurement for 45 consecutive days. Results confirmed that changes in ovarian hormones predict changes in emotional eating across the menstrual cycle, with a significant estradiol × progesterone interaction. Emotional eating scores were highest during the midluteal phase, when progesterone peaks and estradiol demonstrates a secondary peak. Findings extend previous work by highlighting significant interactions between estrogen and progesterone that explain midluteal increases in emotional eating. Future work should explore mechanisms (e.g., gene–hormone interactions) that contribute to both within- and between-subjects differences in emotional eating. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Although previous reports have documented mean-level declines in personality disorder (PD) symptoms over time, little is known about whether personality pathology sometimes emerges among nonsymptomatic adults, or whether rates of change differ qualitatively among symptomatic persons. Our study sought to characterize heterogeneity in the longitudinal course of PD symptoms with the goal of testing for and describing latent trajectories. Participants were 250 young adults selected into two groups using a PD screening measure: those who met diagnostic criteria for a DSM–III–R PD (PPD, n = 129), and those with few PD symptoms (NoPD, n = 121). PD symptoms were assessed three times over a 4-year study using semistructured interviews. Total PD symptom counts and symptoms of each DSM–III–R PD were analyzed using growth mixture modeling. In the NoPD group, latent trajectories were characterized by stable, minor symptoms; the rapid or gradual remission of subclinical symptoms; or the emergence of symptoms of avoidant, obsessive-compulsive, or paranoid PD. In the PPD group, three latent trajectories were evident: rapid symptom remission, slow symptom decline, or a relative absence of symptoms. Rapid remission of PD symptoms was associated with fewer comorbid disorders, lower Negative Emotionality, and greater Positive Emotionality and Constraint, whereas emergent personality dysfunction was associated with comorbid PD symptoms and lower Positive Emotionality. In most cases, symptom change for one PD was associated with concomitant changes in other PDs, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. These results indicate that the longitudinal course of PD symptoms is heterogeneous, with distinct trajectories evident for both symptomatic and nonsymptomatic individuals. The prognosis of PD symptoms may be informed by an assessment of personality and comorbid psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Empathy deficits feature prominently in theoretical accounts of psychopathy, yet studies that have examined various aspects of emotional processing related to empathy have produced a mixed body of findings. We created a laboratory measure of cognitive empathy based on the empathic accuracy paradigm (i.e., the ability to accurately infer others' emotions in a simulated interpersonal interaction) and used it to examine relationships between psychopathy (assessed with the Psychopathy Checklist - Revised) and cognitive empathy in a sample of incarcerated male offenders. Psychopathy was inversely associated with empathic accuracy performance, as well as with the number of responses when rating the emotional states of others. Empathic accuracy performance was most strongly associated with the behavioral/antisocial and lifestyle features of psychopathy. When the emotional content of target vignettes was examined, psychopathy was associated with poorer empathic accuracy for negatively valenced emotions only (fear and sadness), although nonsignificant moderate effect sizes were also observed for joy. Whereas the interpersonal/affective factor of psychopathy was associated with poor empathic accuracy for joy, the behavioral/antisocial factor was associated with poor overall empathic accuracy for negatively valenced emotions. At the psychopathy facet level, the interpersonal and lifestyle features of psychopathy were associated with poor empathic accuracy for positively valenced emotions, whereas the affective and antisocial features of psychopathy were inversely associated with empathic accuracy for negatively valenced emotions. In contrast to its association with poor empathic accuracy performance, psychopathy was not associated with ratings of perceived task difficulty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Psychopathy is a multidimensional construct characterized by an interpersonally manipulative and emotionally detached personality profile that differentiates it from other antisocial syndromes. Previous research with youth has linked the long allele of the serotonin transporter gene in the presence of environmental stress with the interpersonal and affective traits of psychopathy, but these relationships have yet to be examined in relation to adult psychopathy. Consequently, we examined how serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) polymorphisms, monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) variants, and childhood abuse measured with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire relate to dimensions of psychopathy in a forensic sample of 237 men with elevated levels of environmental adversity. We found that the emotional deficits characterizing the affective factor of psychopathy, as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version, were highest among carriers of the 5-HTT long allele. Furthermore, the impulsive and irresponsible lifestyle features of psychopathy were higher among low-activity than high-activity MAO-A carriers. These genetic effects were unexpectedly not moderated by a history of childhood abuse. Results provide evidence on the molecular genetics correlates of psychopathic traits in adulthood, relationships that should be investigated further in future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
We used a longitudinal twin design to examine the causal association between sexual, emotional, and physical abuse in childhood (before age 18) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits at age 24 using a discordant twin design and biometric modeling. Additionally, we examined the mediating and moderating effects of symptoms of childhood externalizing and internalizing disorders on the link between childhood abuse and BPD traits. Although childhood abuse, BPD traits, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms were all correlated, the discordant twin analyses and biometric modeling showed little to no evidence that was consistent with a causal effect of childhood abuse on BPD traits. Instead, our results indicate that the association between childhood abuse and BPD traits stems from common genetic influences that, in some cases, also overlap with internalizing and externalizing disorders. These findings are inconsistent with the widely held assumption that childhood abuse causes BPD, and they suggest that BPD traits in adulthood are better accounted for by heritable vulnerabilities to internalizing and externalizing disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
We examined how the amplification of 3 within-person processes (behavioral reactivity to interpersonal perceptions, affect reactivity to interpersonal perceptions, and behavioral reactivity to a person's own affect) accounts for greater quarrelsome behavior among individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Using an event-contingent recording (ECR) methodology, individuals with BPD (N = 38) and community controls (N = 31) reported on their negative affect, quarrelsome behavior, and perceptions of the interaction partner's agreeable-quarrelsome behavior in interpersonal events during a 20-day period. Behavioral reactivity to negative affect was similar in both groups. However, behavioral reactivity and affect reactivity to interpersonal perceptions were elevated in individuals with BPD relative to community controls; specifically, individuals with BPD reported more quarrelsome behavior and more negative affect during interactions in which they perceived others as more cold-quarrelsome. Greater negative affect reactivity to perceptions of other's cold-quarrelsome behavior partly accounted for the increased quarrelsome behavior reported by individuals with BPD during these interactions. This pattern of results suggests a cycle in which the perception of cold-quarrelsome behavior in others triggers elevated negative affect and quarrelsome behavior in individuals with BPD, which subsequently led to more quarrelsome behavior from their interaction partners, which leads to perceptions of others as cold-quarrelsomeness, which begins the cycle anew. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
The current study tested hypotheses associated with the triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy (Patrick, 2010b; Patrick, Fowles, & Krueger, 2009), which describes three distinctive, albeit related, phenotypic domains—boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. We used two samples consisting of 209 female prison inmates and 627 undergraduate students whom had been administered a range of psychopathy and psychopathy-relevant measures. Our results indicated that the triarchic domains explained variance in other psychopathy models to degrees consistent with conceptual expectations. We also examined associations between the triarchic domains and personality traits relevant to psychopathy in the female correctional sample. The results showed that boldness was preferentially associated with narcissism, thrill/adventure seeking, and low behavioral inhibition system functioning; meanness with Machiavellianism, low empathy, and low behavioral inhibition system; and disinhibition with impulsivity and fun seeking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
The response modulation hypothesis of psychopathy states that psychopaths' inability to adapt their behavior to changing circumstances results from an inability to process peripheral cues in the midst of a dominant response. The current study examined this relationship between psychopathic traits and response modulation using a lexical decision stop signal task and event-related potentials to assess deficits in stimulus and error processing. Overall, the impulsive antisocial (IA) factor of psychopathy was related to poor behavioral performance, particularly in relation to response inhibition. Additionally, IA was related to reduced processing of the stop signal itself as well as subsequent inhibition errors. This deficient processing of the stop signal was found to significantly mediate the relationship among IA, behavioral performance, and the processing of inhibition errors, indicating that a deficit in processing peripheral cues may be responsible for subsequent behavioral and error processing deficits in IA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
When people are shown a moving object that suddenly disappears and are instructed to locate its vanishing position, systematic errors in the direction of motion and in the direction of gravity are usually observed. Entitled, respectively, Representational Momentum (RepMo) and Representational Gravity, these phenomena seem to be influenced by low-level perceptual mechanisms and high-level cognitive aspects alike. Although being widely acknowledged that schizophrenic patients reveal several deficits in the perception and processing of motion, no study to date has explored these behavioral spatial mislocalizations of smoothly moving targets. The present study reports two experiments intending to fill this gap. The outcomes systematically disclosed a null effect of target's velocity for schizophrenic patients, a well established determinant of RepMo's magnitude with nonpsychiatric populations. No other variables (implied mass and motion direction) revealed this dissociation between the groups. The results are discussed within the distinction of kinematic and dynamic variables, with schizophrenic patients revealing a deficit in the processing of the former, and a link with dysfunctional smooth pursuit eye movements is suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Theoretical and empirical literature suggests that nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) may represent a particularly important risk factor for suicide. The present study examined the associations of NSSI and established suicide risk factors to attempted suicide in four samples: adolescent psychiatric patients (n = 139), adolescent high school students (n = 426), university undergraduates (n = 1,364), and a random-digit dialing sample of United States adults (n = 438). All samples were administered measures of NSSI, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts; the first three samples were also administered measures of depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and borderline personality disorder (BPD). In all four samples, NSSI exhibited a robust relationship to attempted suicide (median Phi = .36). Only suicide ideation exhibited a stronger relationship to attempted suicide (median Phi = .47), whereas associations were smaller for BPD (median rpb = .29), depression (median rpb = .24), anxiety (median rpb = .16), and impulsivity (median rpb = .11). When these known suicide risk factors and NSSI were simultaneously entered into logistic regression analyses, only NSSI and suicide ideation maintained significant associations with attempted suicide. Results suggest that NSSI is an especially important risk factor for suicide. Findings are interpreted in the context of Joiner's interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide; specifically, NSSI may be a uniquely important risk factor for suicide because its presence is associated with both increased desire and capability for suicide. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Despite clear diagnostic distinctions, schizophrenia and autism share symptoms on several dimensions. Recent research has suggested the two disorders overlap in etiology, particularly with respect to inherited and noninherited genetic factors. Studying the relationship between psychotic-like and autistic-like symptoms in risk groups such as 22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) and schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) has the potential to shed light on such etiologic factors; thus, the current study examined prodromal symptoms and autistic features in samples of 22q11DS and SPD subjects using standardized diagnostic measures, including the Structured Interview for Prodromal Symptoms (SIPS) and the Autism Diagnostic Inventory—Revised (ADI-R). Results showed that SPD subjects manifested significantly more severe childhood and current social as well as stereotypic autistic features, as well as more severe positive prodromal symptoms. The two groups did not differ on negative, disorganized, or general prodromal symptoms, but were distinguishable based on correlations between prodromal and autistic features; the relationships between childhood autistic features and current prodromal symptoms were stronger for the SPD group. The results suggest that childhood autistic features are less continuous with subsequent prodromal signs in 22q11DS patients relative to those with SPD, and the findings highlight the importance of studying the overlap in diagnostic phenomenology in groups at risk for developing psychosis and/or autism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Using data from a large Australian twin sample we examined the extent to which genetic variation in the Big Three personality dimensions (positive emotionality, negative emotionality, and constraint) and their lower-order components explained genetic variation in the risk for disordered gambling (DG) among men and women. Genetic influences contributing to individual differences in normal-range personality traits explained over 40% of the genetic risk for DG, with a larger contribution among women than among men. The largest and most robust contributions came from the higher-order personality dimension of negative emotionality and its two lower-order dimensions of alienation and aggression. Surprisingly, low self-control was associated with the genetic risk for DG only among women, and risk-taking/sensation-seeking did not explain genetic risk for DG in either sex. The results of this study have implications for the causes of comorbidity between DG and other psychiatric disorders, the search for genes associated with DG risk, and the possibility of sex differences in the etiology of DG. Using a broad-band inventory of personality supports the conclusion that there probably is a substantial proportion of genetic variation in DG that cannot be explained by individual differences in personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Comorbid mental disorders are common among suicide decedents. It is unclear if mental disorders in combination confer additive risk for suicide, in other words, if risk associated with two disorders is approximately the sum of the risk conferred by each disorder considered separately, or if there are departures from additivity such that the combined risk is less (i.e., subadditive) or more than additive (i.e., synergistic). Using a retrospective cohort design, all male Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) service users who utilized VHA services in fiscal year (FY) 1999 and were alive at the start or FY 2000 (N = 2,962,810) were analyzed. Individuals were followed until death or the end of FY 2006. Using the VHA National Patient Care Database, diagnoses of mental disorders in FY 1999 were grouped into six categories (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder). In proportional hazards models, 2-way interactions between disorders were used to examine departures from additive risk. There were 7,426 suicide deaths in the study period. Two-way interaction tests were nearly all statistically significant, indicating departures from additivity, and the results of these tests were consistent with subadditive risk. Sensitivity analyses examining the first year of follow-up showed similar results. Subadditive risk may be explained by factors that serve to lower the increased risk associated with a comorbid diagnosis, which may include common underlying causes of mental disorders, difficulties of differential diagnosis, the nature of etiological relationships between mental disorders, and intensive clinical care and monitoring of patients with comorbidity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
We assessed craving and smoking in response to smoking-relevant cues. Two hundred seven daily smokers viewed images related to 1 of 6 cue sets (cigarettes, positive and negative affect, alcohol, smoking prohibitions, and neutral cues) in separate sessions. Compared with neutral cues, cigarette cues significantly increased craving, and positive affect cues significantly decreased craving. When subjects were then allowed to smoke during continuing cue exposure, cues did not affect the likelihood of smoking or the amount smoked (number of cigarettes, number of puffs, puff time, or increased carbon monoxide). However, craving intensity predicted likelihood of smoking, latency to smoke, and amount smoked, with craving increases after cue exposure making significant independent contributions. Some craving effects were curvilinear, suggesting that they are subject to thresholds and might not be observed under some circumstances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
There has been substantial recent interest in the development of a quantitative, empirically based model of psychopathology. However, the majority of pertinent research has focused on analyses of diagnoses, as described in current official nosologies. This is a significant limitation because existing diagnostic categories are often heterogeneous. In the current research, we aimed to redress this limitation of the existing literature, and to directly compare the fit of categorical, continuous, and hybrid (i.e., combined categorical and continuous) models of syndromes derived from indicators more fine-grained than diagnoses. We analyzed data from a large representative epidemiologic sample (the 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing; N = 8,841). Continuous models provided the best fit for each syndrome we observed (distress, obsessive compulsivity, fear, alcohol problems, drug problems, and psychotic experiences). In addition, the best fitting higher-order model of these syndromes grouped them into three broad spectra: Internalizing, Externalizing, and Psychotic Experiences. We discuss these results in terms of future efforts to refine emerging empirically based, dimensional-spectrum model of psychopathology, and to use the model to frame psychopathology research more broadly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Across the autism spectrum, level of intelligence is highly dependent on the psychometric instrument used for assessment, and there are conflicting views concerning which measures best estimate autistic cognitive abilities. Inspection time is a processing speed measure associated with general intelligence in typical individuals. We therefore investigated autism spectrum performance on inspection time in relation to two different general intelligence tests. Autism spectrum individuals were divided into autistic and Asperger subgroups according to speech development history. Compared to a typical control group, mean inspection time for the autistic subgroup but not the Asperger subgroup was significantly shorter (by 31%). However, the shorter mean autistic inspection time was evident only when groups were matched on Wechsler IQ and disappeared when they were matched using Raven's Progressive Matrices. When autism spectrum abilities are compared to typical abilities, results may be influenced by speech development history as well as by the instrument used for intelligence matching. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
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