Article

The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale: a scale measuring traits linked to reinforcement-specific substance use profiles

August 2009
Addictive Behaviors 34(12):1042-1055

DOI:10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.07.001

Authors:

Patricia A Woicik

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Sherry H Stewart

Dalhousie University

Robert O Pihl

McGill University

Patricia Conrod

Université de Montréal

The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) is based on a model of personality risk for substance abuse in which four personality dimensions (hopelessness, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity, and sensation seeking) are hypothesized to differentially relate to specific patterns of substance use. The current series of studies is a preliminary exploration of the psychometric properties of the SURPS in two populations (undergraduate and high school students). In study 1, an analysis of the internal structure of two versions of the SURPS shows that the abbreviated version best reflects the 4-factor structure. Concurrent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the SURPS is supported by convergent/divergent relationships between the SURPS subscales and other theoretically relevant personality and drug use criterion measures. In Study 2, the factorial structure of the SURPS is confirmed and evidence is provided for its test–retest reliability and validity with respect to measuring personality vulnerability to reinforcement-specific substance use patterns. In Study 3, the SURPS was administered in a more youthful population to test its sensitivity in identifying younger problematic drinkers. The results from the current series of studies demonstrate support for the reliability and construct validity of the SURPS, and suggest that four personality dimensions may be linked to substance-related behavior through different reinforcement processes. This brief assessment tool may have important implications for clinicians and future research.

Five-Year Outcomes of a School-Based Personality-Focused Prevention Program on Adolescent Substance Use Disorder: A Cluster Randomized Trial

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2025
AM J PSYCHIAT

Objective: Rates of substance use disorders (SUDs) remain significantly above national targets for health promotion and disease prevention in Canada and the United States. This study investigated the 5-year SUD outcomes following a selective drug and alcohol prevention program targeting personality risk factors for adolescent substance misuse. Methods: The Co-Venture trial is a cluster randomized trial involving 31 high schools in the greater Montreal area that agreed to conduct annual health behavior surveys for 5 years on the entire 7th grade cohort of assenting students enrolled at the school in 2012 or 2013. Half of all schools were randomly assigned to be trained and assisted in the delivery of the personality-targeted PreVenture Program to all eligible 7th grade participants. The intervention consisted of a brief (two-session) group cognitive-behavioral intervention that is delivered in a personality-matched fashion to students who have elevated scores on one of four personality traits linked to early-onset substance misuse: impulsivity, sensation seeking, anxiety sensitivity, or hopelessness. Results: Mixed-effects multilevel Bayesian models were used to estimate the effect of the intervention on the year-by-year change in probability of SUD. When baseline differences were controlled for, a time-by-intervention interaction revealed positive growth in SUD rate for the control group (b=1.380, SE=0.143, odds ratio=3.97) and reduced growth for the intervention group (b=-0.423, SE=0.173, 95% CI=-0.771, -0.084, odds ratio=0.655), indicating a 35% reduction in the annual increase in SUD rate in the intervention condition relative to the control condition. Group differences in SUD rates were reliably nonzero (95% confidence) at the fourth and fifth year of assessment. Secondary analyses revealed no significant intervention effects on growth of anxiety, depression, or total mental health difficulties over the four follow-up periods. Conclusions: This study showed for the first time that personality-targeted interventions might protect against longer-term development of SUD.

Relationship Between Personality Traits and Emotional Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadian Emerging Adults

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2025

We assessed whether traits from the four-factor vulnerability model for substance misuse are associated with the content of emotional descriptions given by Canadian university students of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives. Personality traits were measured in 1185 first- and second-year undergraduates (mean age = 19.11 years; 79% female). Written responses to “Tell us about how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting your life” were coded using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software. Negative binomial analyses were run to examine links between traits and emotion word types used in responses. Anxiety sensitivity was associated with increased use of anxiety words; hopelessness was associated with increased use of negative emotion and sadness words, and decreased use of positive emotion words; and impulsivity was associated with increased use of anger words. Findings have implications for personality-tailored interventions for students vulnerable to distress resulting from highly stressful situations such as pandemics.

Mental Health and Dispositional Predictors of Simultaneous Versus Concurrent Cannabis and Alcohol Use in a Canadian Context

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2024

Objective Cannabis has become more available in Canada since its legalization in 2018. Many individuals who use cannabis also use alcohol (co-use), which can be used either at the same time such that their effects overlap (simultaneous use) or at different times (concurrent use). Though studies have identified predictors of co-use relative to single-substance use, less is known about the predictors of specific types of co-use. The present study examined the mental health and dispositional predictors of simultaneous relative to concurrent use of the two legal substances (cannabis and alcohol) among adults in Canada. Method Canadian adults reporting past-year use of both cannabis and alcohol (N = 1,761) were recruited from Academic Prolific and six Canadian universities. Participants completed online self-report measures of demographic characteristics, cannabis and alcohol co-use, mental health symptoms, impulsivity, and personality traits. Results Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that when independent variables were each examined individually, greater severity of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD symptoms; greater negative urgency and lack of premeditation; and greater impulsivity each predicted an increased likelihood of reporting past-year simultaneous use relative to concurrent use. When independent variables were grouped into three separate models (mental health, impulsivity, and personality variables), greater anxiety symptom severity, ADHD symptom severity, negative urgency, and sensation seeking were each uniquely associated with an increased likelihood of simultaneous relative to concurrent use. Conclusions Individuals with elevated anxiety and ADHD symptoms, as well as negative urgency and sensation seeking, may be more inclined to engage in simultaneous use to self-medicate and achieve greater symptom reduction. Future studies may examine the directionality of these relations and motives (e.g., coping) that may differentiate simultaneous and concurrent use.

Personality Traits and Links between Bullying, Emotional Distress, and Substance Use among Emerging Adults

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2024
Int J Ment Health Addiction

Bullying is a form of interpersonal aggression that is associated with mental health and substance use problems. Certain personality traits are risk factors for both bullying involvement (i.e., bullying perpetration and/or victimization), and psychopathology, particularly among adolescents. However, little is known about whether these associations between bullying involvement, personality vulnerability, and psychopathology persist into emerging adulthood. This study examined how bullying involvement and maladaptive personality traits (anxiety sensitivity, hopelessness, impulsivity, sensation seeking) cluster together in groups and how those groups differ in emotional distress/substance use symptoms. Five profiles were identified using latent profile analysis: 1) high victimization, inhibited personality; 2) high perpetration/victimization, impulsive personality; 3) high-risk personality; 4) resilient/inhibited personality; and 5) resilient/externalizing personality. The high-risk personality profile demonstrated the highest emotional distress, followed by profiles characterized by bullying involvement. Elevated substance use was observed among groups characterized by both bullying involvement and personality vulnerability.

A systematic review of validity of US survey measures for assessing substance use and substance use disorders

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2024

Background The steep rise in substance use and substance use disorder (SUD) shows an urgency to assess its prevalence using valid measures. This systematic review summarizes the validity of measures to assess the prevalence of substance use and SUD in the US estimated in population and sub-population-based surveys. Methods A literature search was performed using nine online databases. Studies were included in the review if they were published in English and tested the validity of substance use and SUD measures among US adults at the general or sub-population level. Independent reviews were conducted by the authors to complete data synthesis and assess the risk of bias. Results Overall, 46 studies validating substance use/SUD (n = 46) measures were included in this review, in which 63% were conducted in clinical settings and 89% assessed the validity of SUD measures. Among the studies that assessed SUD screening measures, 78% examined a generic SUD measure, and the rest screened for specific disorders. Almost every study used a different survey measure. Overall, sensitivity and specificity tests were conducted in over a third of the studies for validation, and 10 studies used receiver operating characteristics curve. Conclusion Findings suggest a lack of standardized methods in surveys measuring and reporting prevalence of substance use/SUD among US adults. It highlights a critical need to develop short measures for assessing SUD that do not require lengthy, time-consuming data collection that would be difficult to incorporate into population-based surveys assessing a multitude of health dimensions. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42022298280.

Internalizing personality traits and coping motivations for gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-lagged panel mediation analysis

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2024

Anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness are two traits that have been previously linked to increased gaming problems. Research in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic showed that emotionally vulnerable individuals were turning to video games as a means of coping with their distress. However, more research is needed on the long-term and enduring pathways from internalizing traits to time spent gaming during COVID-19, after the lockdowns and preventative measures had been lifted. As such, the current study employs a multi-wave longitudinal study that predicted that those participants who experience high levels of anxiety sensitivity or hopelessness would use gaming as a means to cope with their emotional discomfort, resulting in increased gaming behaviours. A sample of 1,001 American gamers (Mage = 38.43, SD = 12.11, 53.2% female) completed three surveys through Mechanical Turk, with the first occurring in July 2021, and subsequent surveys spaced three months apart. This study measured participants’ baseline anxiety sensitivity and hopelessness using the Substance Use Risk Profile. At each time point, participants were asked to recall their average time spent gaming over the past month using a Timeline Follow-Back method, and answer questions related to their coping motivations for gaming using the Motives for Online Gaming Questionnaire. Coping motives consistently predicted time spent gaming at the next timepoint. Furthermore, we found evidence that high levels of anxiety sensitivity at baseline predicted greater future time spent gaming at Time 3, through greater coping motives at Time 2. Hopelessness was correlated with coping motives and time spent gaming at baseline, but did not relate to these variables across time. Anxious individuals who were gaming to cope during the COVID-19 pandemic may be at higher risk for excessive gaming. This may be particularly true for individuals who are higher in anxiety sensitivity. Future research should aim to understand how the relationships between anxiety sensitivity, coping motivations, and time spend gaming exist in the context of symptoms of gaming disorder and functional impairments that exist due to excessive gaming.

Anxiety Sensitivity as a Transdiagnostic Factor in Emotional Disorders, Addictive Disorders, and Their Comorbidities: How Basic Research Informs Intervention Research

Article

Full-text available

May 2024

Sherry H Stewart

Le présent article résume notre programme de recherche sur la sensibilité à l’anxiété (SA) – un facteur dispositionnel cognitif et affectif impliquant des craintes de sensations liées à l’anxiété en raison de croyances selon lesquelles ces sensations entraînent des conséquences catastrophiques. La SA et ses dimensions d’ordre inférieur sont considérées comme des facteurs transdiagnostiques de risque ou de maintien des troubles émotionnels et des troubles addictifs. La compréhension des mécanismes par lesquels la SA exerce ses effets peut révéler des cibles d’intervention clés pour les programmes de prévention et de traitement axés sur la SA. Dans le présent article, je passe en revue les recherches fondamentales que nous avons menées pour comprendre les mécanismes qui relient la SA à ces troubles et à leurs symptômes. Je décris également les interventions transdiagnostiques ciblées sur la SA et j’illustre la manière dont la recherche fondamentale a permis d’orienter le contenu de ces interventions. Enfin, je passe en revue les projets en cours dans mon laboratoire et je souligne les orientations futures importantes dans ce domaine. Bien que des progrès considérables aient été réalisés au cours des trois dernières décennies et que la recherche ait considérablement fait avancer notre compréhension de la SA en tant que facteur transdiagnostique, de nombreuses questions restent en suspens. Les réponses devraient nous aider à affiner les interventions afin d’en faire bénéficier au maximum les personnes qui ont une grande peur d’avoir peur.

Trauma Exposure and Substance Use in Journalists: A Narrative Review

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2023

Individuals and teams in the journalism community cover stories relating to death, destruction, and tragedy in society, exposing themselves to potentially traumatic events (PTEs). The aim of this review was to explore: (1) the impact trauma exposure may have on substance use, (2) substance use as a method of coping, and (3) personality profiles that are predictive of substance use. Findings indicate that journalists are exposed to a wide variety of PTEs. Despite substance use being considered a trauma reaction in the broader literature, this connection has not been adequately addressed within journalist samples. The most common substance researched in journalists is alcohol consumption, with few studies considering other substances (e.g., nicotine, caffeine, or illicit substances). Future research with journalist samples could evaluate substance use as a method of coping and incorporate broader theory relating to substance use risk personality profiles. There is a need to bridge the gap that exists between broader trauma and substance use literature and a focus on journalist samples, with the intention of: (1) providing a more holistic understanding of psychosocial issues associated with trauma exposure and substance use to inform diagnosis and treatment, (2) assessing risk and protective factors for this community, (3) informing the development of health promotion and education programs specific to practising journalists and journalistic organisations, and (4) highlighting opportunities for trauma specific education targeted at those training to become a journalist, including protective coping strategies.

Health Locus of Control, Self-Regulation and Time Perspective as Predictors of Recovery Capital Among Adult Inpatients in South African Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centres

Thesis

Full-text available

Nov 2022

Recovery from substance use is a complex process with several factors contributing to its success. Thus, it is important to gain a better understanding of the factors that contribute to recovery. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether health locus of control, self-regulation, and time perspective contribute to recovery capital in the context of South African drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres. The secondary purpose was to determine whether a significant change could be observed in these variables within approximately three weeks. A total of 173 (N = 173) participants voluntarily participated in the study while undergoing treatment in rehabilitation centres. Participants completed a questionnaire to measure recovery capital, health locus of control, self-regulation, and time perspective after intake and before discharge. Recovery capital was measured utilising the Brief Assessment of Recovery Capital-10 questionnaire. Health locus of control was measured using the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales Shortened Version. Self-regulation was measured using the Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire. Finally, time perspective was measured utilising the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, hierarchical multiple regression, and dependent t-test techniques were used to analyse the data. Additionally, Cronbach alpha coefficients were calculated for all measurement instruments used in the study. This study includes several novel findings regarding recovery from substance use disorders in the South African context. Results indicated that self-regulation and future time perspective are significantly positively correlated with recovery capital at intake. At the same time, past negative time perspective and present fatalistic time perspective displayed significant negative associations with recovery capital. Furthermore, self-regulation was found to be significantly positively related to recovery capital at the time of discharge. The combination of predictor variables, self-regulation, past negative time perspective, present fatalistic time perspective, and future time perspective were all observed to be significant predictors of recovery capital at intake. At the time of discharge, the combination of predictor variables, self-regulation, and present fatalistic time perspective were found to be significant predictors of recovery capital. Finally, significant changes were observed in the means of past negative time perspective, present hedonistic time perspective and present fatalistic time perspective. This study provides valuable insights into the nature of recovery from substance use disorders in South Africa. However, further research is still needed to understand these factors better. Keywords: Recovery capital, health locus of control, self-regulation, time perspective, substance use, rehabilitation centre, The Brief Assessment of Recovery Capital-10 questionnaire, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales Shortened Version, The Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire, Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory

High peak drinking levels mediate the relation between impulsive personality and injury risk in emerging adults

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2024

Background Alcohol-induced injury is one of the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality. We investigated the relationship between impulsive personality and physical injury (e.g. falls, sports), and whether peak drinking quantity specifically, and/or risky behaviour more generally, mediates the relationship between impulsivity and injury in undergraduates. Method We used data from the winter 2021 UniVenture survey with 1316 first- and second-year undergraduate students aged 18–25 years (79.5% female) from five Canadian Universities. Students completed an online survey regarding their demographics, personality, alcohol use, risky behaviours, and injury experiences. Impulsivity was measured with the substance use risk profile scale, past 30-day peak alcohol use with the quantity-frequency-peak Alcohol Use Index, general risky behaviour with the risky behaviour questionnaire, and past 6-month injury experience with the World Health Organization’s (2017) injury measurement questionnaire. Results Of 1316 total participants, 12.9% ( n = 170) reported having sustained a physical injury in the past 6 months. Mean impulsivity, peak drinking quantity, and risky behaviour scores were significantly higher among those who reported vs. did not report injury. Impulsivity and peak drinking quantity, but not general risky behaviour, predicted injury in a multi-level generalized mixed model. Mediation analyses supported impulsivity as both a direct predictor of physical injury and an indirect predictor through increased peak drinking (both p < .05), but not through general risky behaviour. Conclusion Results imply emerging adults with impulsive tendencies should be identified for selective injury prevention programs and suggest targeting their heavy drinking to decrease their risk for physical injury.

Do school-based prevention programs impact co-occurring alcohol use and psychological distress during adolescence?

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2024
PSYCHOL MED

Background Adolescence is a critical period for preventing substance use and mental health concerns, often targeted through separate school-based programs. However, co-occurrence is common and is related to worse outcomes. This study explores prevention effects of leading school-based prevention programs on co-occurring alcohol use and psychological distress. Methods Data from two Australian cluster randomized trials involving 8576 students in 97 schools were harmonized for analysis. Students received either health education (control) or one of five prevention programs (e.g. Climate Schools, PreVenture) with assessments at baseline and 6, 12, 24, and 30 or 36 months (from ages ~13–16). Multilevel multinomial regressions were used to predict the relative risk ratios (RRs) of students reporting co-occurring early alcohol use and psychological distress, alcohol use only, distress only, or neither (reference) across programs. Results The combined Climate Schools: Alcohol and Cannabis and Climate Schools: Mental Health courses (CSC) as well as the PreVenture program reduced the risk of adolescents reporting co-occurring alcohol use and psychological distress (36 months RR CSC = 0.37; RR PreVenture = 0.22). Other evaluated programs (excluding Climate Schools: Mental Health) only appeared effective for reducing the risk of alcohol use that occurred without distress. Conclusions Evidence-based programs exist that reduce the risk of early alcohol use with and without co-occurring psychological distress, though preventing psychological distress alone requires further exploration. Prevention programs appear to have different effects depending on whether alcohol use and distress present on their own or together, thus suggesting the need for tailored prevention strategies.

Co-development of general psychopathology and high-risk personality traits during adolescence

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2024
DEV PSYCHOPATHOL

There is strong evidence for a general psychopathology dimension which captures covariance among all forms of psychopathology, yet its nature and underlying association with personality remain unclear. This study examined the co-development of general psychopathology and four high-risk personality traits: anxiety sensitivity, negative thinking, sensation seeking, and impulsivity. Data from two large Australian school-based randomised controlled trials of substance use prevention programs were analysed ( N = 2,083, mean age at baseline = 13.49 years). Adolescents completed self-report measures of psychopathology symptoms and personality at baseline, one-, two-, and three-years post-baseline. Latent curve models with structured residuals, were used to examine the co-development of general psychopathology (extracted from a higher-order model) and personality traits from 13 to 16 years of age, controlling for age, sex, and cohort. Higher than usual levels of anxiety sensitivity and impulsivity were associated with higher than usual levels of general psychopathology at subsequent time points, and higher than usual levels of general psychopathology were associated with higher than usual levels of negative thinking at later time points. Sensation seeking was unrelated to general psychopathology. These findings enhance our understanding of the meaning and validity of general psychopathology, highlighting potential personality-based prevention and intervention targets.

Perceived Addiction Potential: Preliminary Evidence of the Accuracy of Self-Assessed Substance Use Disorder Risk

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2024
Int J Ment Health Addiction

Bryant M. Stone

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are complex health conditions influenced by biological, psychological, and environmental factors. Research has extensively implicated psychological constructs, such as attitudes, motivations, and expectations. However, researchers have not thoroughly examined the cognitive self-evaluation of one's SUD risk. In the current study, I introduced the concept of perceived addiction potential (PAP) – an individual's self-assessed likelihood of developing a SUD – and aimed to define, measure, and characterize it. I generated the initial items through a comprehensive review of literature and media, and refined them through deliberation with expert substance use clinicians. I conducted an online study of Undergraduate students (n = 125; Mage = 19.18, SD = 1.05; 62% female; 58% White), substance-related Reddit forum members (n = 224; Mage = 31.28, SD = 9.21; 58% male; 82% White), and Recovery Dharma members (n = 136; Mage = 50.48, SD = 11.50; 61% male; 94% White). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested a 20-item structure of the Perceived Addiction Potential Inventory, categorized into four factors: Superiority, Use Rationalization, Perceived Safety, and Perceived Protection. This model remained consistent across samples and self-reported SUD diagnoses, showing excellent internal consistency, construct validity, and theoretically consistent demographic variations. Notably, PAP scores negatively correlated with SUD severity and substance use but positively with insight and SUD knowledge, suggesting that one's self-assessed SUD risk is consistent with their reported risk and protective factors. Thus, I found suggests that one's estimate of ones SUD risk is rather consistent with their actual risk, contrary to some stigmatizing perceptions. Further, this study introduces a new method for evaluating an individual's perceived susceptibility to SUDs, positioning PAP as a novel construct of interest.

Factor analysis of impulsivity in gaming disorder and internet gaming disorder

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2024
BMC PSYCHIATRY

Background Research suggests that a two-factor model of impulsivity predicts Substance Use Disorder and Gambling Disorder. We aimed to determine whether a similar factor structure was present for Gaming Disorder (GD) and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). Methods Secondary data analysis was conducted on survey responses from 372 participants who had completed a series of questions on facets of impulsivity and their involvement in gaming. Participants were sampled from gaming forums and an online recruitment website. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the measures of trait impulsivity, and the identified factors were then analyzed against measures of Gaming Disorder and Internet Gaming Disorder. A confirmatory factor analysis was then run to confirm the model. Results The exploratory results suggested a five-factor model of impulsivity, with gaming being related to all five factors. Interestingly, only two of those factors (Urgency (Positive Urgency, Negative Urgency, Delay Discounting) and (Impaired) Inhibitory Control (False Button Presses on Go/No-Go Tasks)) predicted symptom counts above the clinical cut-off for IGD. In addition, Urgency was related to symptom counts above 7/9 criteria for IGD, as well as symptom counts above the suggested clinical cut-off for GD. The confirmatory factor analysis suggested that this two-factor model of impulsivity had ‘good fit.’ Conclusions This two-factor model of impulsivity is similar to those found in established addiction disorders, in that one factor appears to predict more problematic involvement than the other. However, the results indicate that Urgency predicts higher symptom counts than (Impaired) Inhibitory Control. This contrasts with previous findings on substance use and gambling, where (Impaired) Inhibitory Control was the factor predicting problematic use. However, there was evidence to suggest that gaming is similar to alcohol consumption, where socially acceptable, “healthy,” use is related to impulsivity at some level, but Urgency is key in the transition from recreational to disordered behavior.

The correlates of appearance focused self-concept: personality traits, self-concept, sociocultural, and early life experience factors

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2024

Background Theory and research indicate that an appearance focused self-concept (i.e., placing overriding importance on physical appearance for self-definition and self-worth) plays a role in the etiology and maintenance of disordered eating and eating disorders. Although the consequences of an appearance focused self-concept are palpable, less is known about its correlates. Accordingly, we examined a range of factors that may characterize appearance focused people, including personality traits (perfectionism, impulsivity, sensation-seeking, hopelessness, and anxiety sensitivity), self-concept (global self-esteem and self-concept clarity), sociocultural (thin-ideal, muscular-ideal, general attractiveness internalizations, and perceived pressure to be thin), and early life experiences (adverse childhood experiences, attachment styles) factors. Methods Female undergraduate university students (N = 568; Mage = 19.58, SDage = 4.24) completed a questionnaire battery that included the Beliefs About Appearance Scale, Depressive Experiences Questionnaire–Self-Criticism-6 Scale, Frost-Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Revised Almost Perfect Scale, Substance Use Risk Profile Scale, Self-Concept Clarity Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 Scale, Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, Experiences in Close Relationships Scale Short Form, and the Dietary Restraint subscale of the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire. Results Multiple regression analyses were conducted for each set of factors separately and together. For personality traits, perfectionism, impulsivity, and anxiety sensitivity were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. For self-concept, global self-esteem and self-concept clarity were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. For sociocultural, general attractiveness internalization, thin-ideal internalization, and perceived pressure to be thin were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. For early life experiences, attachment anxiety and avoidance were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. In the combined analysis, the various factors explained 54% of the variance in appearance focused self-concept. Impulsivity, global self-esteem, general attractiveness internalization, and perceived pressure to be thin were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. Conclusions Results for global self-esteem were consistent with prior research. Findings for evaluative concerns perfectionism were inconsistent with prior research. We discuss future research directions to examine the link between evaluative concerns perfectionism and appearance focused self-concept. We also discuss how sociocultural factors (general attractiveness internalization and perceived pressure to be thin) and impulsivity may help cultivate an appearance focused self-concept, advancing knowledge on the characteristics of appearance-focused people.

Effects of sexual assault vs. other traumatic experiences on emotional and cannabis use outcomes in regular cannabis users with trauma histories: moderation by gender?

Article

Full-text available

May 2024

Introduction While sexual assault may have particularly adverse emotional effects compared with other forms of trauma, it remains unclear which emotional outcome dimensions are impacted, whether cannabis outcomes are similarly impacted, and whether gender differences exist in sexual assault’s links with these outcomes. Methods N = 100 cannabis users with trauma histories (M age = 33.1) completed standardized measures of demographics, trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and cannabis outcomes (frequency, medicinal prescription, motives, and craving). Results Sexual assault was experienced more often by women (83.9%) than men (31.8%). A series of 2 × 2 analyses of variance [gender: women (n = 56) vs. men (n = 44) × trauma type: sexual assault (n = 61) vs. other (n = 39)] and logistic regression revealed that sexual assault survivors scored higher than other trauma survivors on re-experiencing and hyperarousal PTS symptoms (DSM-5 Clusters B and E), cognitive depressive symptoms, hopelessness, cannabis use frequency, medicinal cannabis prescription, cannabis use to cope with psychological symptoms, and compulsivity craving; and lower on social and enhancement cannabis use motives. In terms of gender main effects, women scored higher than men on cannabis use to cope with negative emotions. In terms of interactions for PTS Cluster D symptoms (negative alterations in mood/cognitions), among men only, sexual assault survivors scored higher than other trauma survivors; and for cannabis enhancement motives and purposefulness cannabis craving, among sexual assault survivors only, women scored higher than men. Discussion Across many different trauma, women survivors’ use of cannabis to cope with negative affect should be a specific therapeutic focus. Moreover, we identified specific emotional and cannabis use outcomes that should be of specific clinical concern among sexual assault survivors regardless of gender. Finally, in terms of gender differences of clinical interest among sexual assault survivors, while PTS Cluster D symptoms should be specific treatment targets in men, cannabis enhancement motives and purposefulness craving should be treatment targets in women.

The long-term effectiveness of a personality-targeted substance use prevention program on aggression from adolescence to early adulthood

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2024
PSYCHOL MED

Background Addressing aggressive behavior in adolescence is a key step toward preventing violence and associated social and economic costs in adulthood. This study examined the secondary effects of the personality-targeted substance use preventive program Preventure on aggressive behavior from ages 13 to 20. Methods In total, 339 young people from nine independent schools ( M age = 13.03 years, s.d. = 0.47, range = 12–15) who rated highly on one of the four personality traits associated with increased substance use and other emotional/behavioral symptoms (i.e. impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity, sensation seeking, and negative thinking) were included in the analyses ( n = 145 in Preventure, n = 194 in control). Self-report assessments were administered at baseline and follow-up (6 months, 1, 2, 3, 5.5, and 7 years). Overall aggression and subtypes of aggressive behaviors (proactive, reactive) were examined using multilevel mixed-effects analysis accounting for school-level clustering. Results Across the 7-year follow-up period, the average yearly reduction in the frequency of aggressive behaviors ( b = −0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.64 to −0.20; p < 0.001), reactive aggression ( b = −0.22; 95% CI 0.35 to −0.10; p = 0.001), and proactive aggression ( b = −0.14; 95% CI −0.23 to −0.05; p = 0.002) was greater for the Preventure group compared to the control group. Conclusions The study suggests a brief personality-targeted intervention may have long-term impacts on aggression among young people; however, this interpretation is limited by imbalance of sex ratios between study groups.

Is Gaming a Problem: A Mixed Methods Approach Towards Creating a Taxonomy of Gaming Outcomes

Thesis

Full-text available

Jun 2023

Jodie Raybould

Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) was introduced into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a potential disorder in 2013. The condition has been widely studied by researchers; however, there are many who criticise and debate the validity of this diagnosis and its symptom criteria. This thesis began by taking a comparative approach to the debate, where IGD was compared against established addiction disorders to find commonalities that may justify its inclusion under the umbrella of addiction. Some similarities were found between IGD, gambling, and substance use disorders. The variables were all related to cognitive instability, an aspect of impulsivity, and a two-factor model of impulsivity was found that was similar to factor models previously reported for substance use and gambling. It was concluded that while commonalities do exist, the factor predicting maladaptive gaming was opposite to the predictor of gambling and substance use. This suggested a significant difference, prompting the question, how else can we establish whether gaming might be disordered? To address this question the thesis took a new approach following the work of Loftus and Loftus. They wrote that a behaviour that is not good for the individual may be disordered; in other words, the harmful outcomes of behaviour outweigh the benefits. The key aim of this thesis was therefore to create a comprehensive list of potential outcomes from gaming. The taxonomy was developed and tested, and all but one of the listed items was endorsed by at least one participant. Over ¼ of the sample reported more harms than benefits, with the most common being lost time, irritability, and sleep changes. This work could support future research and practical developments in measures and treatments of IGD. However, further development of the taxonomy, such as weighted items, would be beneficial.

BRAIN RESPONSES TO ALCOHOL CUES IN YOUTH AT RISK FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS (SUDS): A FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING STUDY

Article

Feb 2025
INT J NEUROPSYCHOPH

Background Adolescent alcohol use is the norm, but only some develop a substance use disorder (SUD). The most common vulnerability traits are characterized by diverse externalizing (EXT) behaviors (e.g., poor impulse-control and emotion regulation). Preliminary studies suggest that this increased risk may be influenced by altered mesocorticolimbic processing of drug and non-drug reward-related cues. The effects are complex. Whereas functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measured responses to alcohol cues are elevated in young adults with an alcohol use disorder compared to healthy drinkers (1), high-risk youth who have not developed an SUD are reported to poorly differentiate cues associated with high vs low reward; e.g., monetary reward (2). Aims & Objectives Measure brain activation responses to alcohol and non-alcohol cues in high- vs low- EXT youth who have been followed since birth. Method Seventy-one longitudinally followed young social drinkers (age 18.5±0.6) underwent fMRI scans and completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS- 11), Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS), and Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ). fMRI blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) activations were measured while participants received 1ml beverage tastants consisting of their preferred alcohol beverage, their preferred fruit juice, and water. Fourteen participants were excluded due to image quality issues, resulting in a final sample of 57, 27 high EXT (15F/12M) and 30 low EXT (20F/10M). As previously reported, most of these participants also had [18F]fallypride (47/57) and [11C]ABP688 (47/57) positron emission tomography scans and the high EXT group exhibited widespread increases in dopamine DRD2/3 receptors (3) and decreases in type 5 metabotropic glutamate receptors (4). Results As anticipated, high vs low EXT participants had higher AUDIT scores, alcohol binge occasions, lifetime uses of cannabis, impulsivity scores (SURPS and BIS-11), and prevalence of psychiatric disorders (mostly mood, anxiety, ADHD, and mild SUDs). For the alcohol (vs water) fMRI contrast, both groups exhibited activations in the thalamus, but only the high EXT group had significant activations in the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, right calcarine, and post central gyrus. Significant group differences, in comparison, were only seen when contrasting the two flavored reward cues, alcohol vs juice. Whereas the low EXT group exhibited larger mesocorticolimbic BOLD responses to alcohol (vs water) than juice (vs water), these responses were undifferentiated in the high EXT group. Discussion & Conclusion The results add to the evidence that, in high-risk youth, mesocorticolimbic activations poorly distinguish reward-related cues, extending this observation to alcohol vs juice. The neurotransmitters mediating these responses remain unknown, but disrupted differentiations of reward- related cues might erode the ability to make optimal choices, increasing the risk for SUDs and their commonly comorbid conditions. References 1. Tapert, S. F., Cheung, E. H., Brown, G. G., Frank, L. R., Paulus, M. P., Schweinsburg, A. D., Meloy, M. J., &Brown, S. A. (2003). Neural response to alcohol stimuli in adolescents with alcohol use disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60(7), 727–735. 2.Bü chel, C., Peters, J., Banaschewski, T., Bokde, A. L. W., Bromberg, U., Conrod, P. J., Flor, H., Papadopoulos, D., Garavan, H., Gowland, P., Heinz, A., Walter, H., Ittermann, B., Mann, K., Martinot, J.-L., Paillè re-Martinot, M.-L., Nees, F., Paus, T., Pausova, Z., … IMAGEN consortium. (2017). Blunted ventral striatal responses to anticipated rewards foreshadow problematic drug use in novelty-seeking adolescents. Nature Communications, 8, 14140. 3.Jaworska N, Cox SML, Tippler M, Castellanos-Ryan N, Benkelfat C, Parent S, Dagher A, Vitaro F, Boivin M, Pihl RO, Cô té S, Tremblay RE, Sé guin JR, Leyton M. (2020) Extra-striatal dopamine2/3 receptor availability in youth at-risk for addictions. Neuropsychopharmacology, 45(9), 1498-1505. 4.Cox SML, Tippler M, Jaworska N, Smart K, Castellanos-Ryan N, Durand F, Allard D, Benkelfat C, Parent S, Dagher A, Vitaro F, Boivin M, Pihl RO, Cô té S, Tremblay RE, Sé guin JR, Leyton M. (2020) mGlu5 receptor availability in youth at risk for addictions: effects of vulnerability traits and cannabis use. Neuropsychopharmacology, 45(11), 817-1825.

Structural Brain Correlates of Externalizing Traits and Symptoms in the IMAGEN Sample

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2025

The evidence supporting the presence of individual brain structure correlates of the externalizing spectrum (EXT) is sparse and mixed. To date, large-sample studies of brain–EXT relations have mainly found null to very small effects by focusing exclusively on either EXT-related personality traits (e.g., Hyatt et al., 2022) or EXT-related disorders/symptoms (e.g., Mewton et al., 2022). In this preregistered study using IMAGEN data (N = 1,370), we investigated the structural brain correlates of EXT factors that comprise both personality (e.g., antagonism) and psychopathology constructs (e.g., conduct disorder) across levels of morphometric specificity. Brain morphometry was operationalized in terms of omnibus measures (e.g., total brain volume), subcortical volume, and Desikan atlas regions (N = 161 structural magnetic resonance imaging metrics). We operationalized our integrated personality–psychopathology EXT through exploratory factor analyses of EXT-related measures, which identified two dimensions—nonsubstance use and substance use—and one overarching EXT domain. The results were consistent with previous large-sample neuroscientific investigations of EXT: The vast majority of relations were null, and all effect sizes were very small (largest marginal R² < .02). Preregistered supplementary analyses indicated that all significant relations found were driven by total intracranial volume and sex of the participant and became nonsignificant following the inclusion of these covariates. We conclude with suggestions regarding the importance of relevant covariates and large samples in clinical neuroscientific investigations.

Sociodemographic characteristics and vaping motives as potential correlates of early vaping initiation

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2025

Background Vaping’s popularity has particularly increased among young people, with its prevalence varying across different regions, including the Middle East. The health impacts of vaping, especially when initiated early, are a growing concern. Aims This study aimed to investigate the correlates of early vaping initiation (EVI) and explored the sociodemographic characteristics and vaping motives influencing EVI among vapers from Arab countries. Methods An online cross-sectional survey recruited 428regular vapers, aged 18–60 who resided in Arab countries at the time of the study. Sociodemographic and vaping motives data were collected. Stepwise logistic regression was used to examine the factors associated with EVI. Results The study findings revealed that older participants and expats have lower odds of EVI. Males and vapers from Qatar had around 4–5 times the odds of EVI as compared to females and those from Egypt, respectively. Conclusion Targeted social marketing and education campaigns may benefit groups at risk of EVI, including residents of Qatar, males, and those who are strongly influenced by social media or who have friends or family members who vape. Reducing EVI is particularly important, as vaping often begins at an early age, and early intervention is vital to prevent early initiation and subsequent addiction.

A multimodal neuroimaging study of youth at risk for substance use disorders: Functional magnetic resonance imaging and [F]fallypride positron emission tomography

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2024

Background Adolescent alcohol use is the norm, but only some develop a substance use disorder. The increased risk might reflect heightened mesocorticolimbic responses to reward‐related cues but results published to date have been inconsistent. Methods Young social drinkers (age 18.5 ± 0.6 y.o.) who have been followed since birth were recruited from high‐ versus low‐risk trajectories based on externalizing (EXT) behavioral traits. All had functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to measure mesocorticolimbic responses to alcohol, juice, and water cues (High EXT: 20F/10M; Low EXT: 15F/12M). Most had positron emission tomography (PET) [¹⁸F]fallypride scans to measure brain regional dopamine D2 receptor availabilities (n = 47). Results Compared with the low EXT group, high EXT participants reported larger subjective responses to the alcohol and juice cues (vs. water). Despite this, a main effect of group was not seen for brain activation responses to the alcohol and juice cues. Instead, low EXT participants exhibited higher mesocorticolimbic activations to alcohol than juice, whereas these activations did not differ in the high EXT group. Across all participants, alcohol (vs. water) blood oxygen level‐dependent (BOLD) responses in the striatum and amygdala were associated with midbrain [¹⁸F]fallypride BPND values. Conclusion Young social drinkers at high versus low risk for substance use disorders did not exhibit larger mesocorticolimbic BOLD activations to alcohol‐related cues and their responses poorly differentiated alcohol from juice. These observations raise the possibility that (i) diminished mesocorticolimbic BOLD differentiations between reward‐related cues might be a marker of increased risk for substance use disorders, and (ii) previously reported large BOLD responses to drug‐related cues in people with substance use disorders might better identify the disease than pre‐existing vulnerability.

Unveiling the Heterogeneity of Sensation Seeking and Collectivism Development in Chinese Adolescents

Article

Dec 2024
J PERS

Objective Understanding the impact of sociocultural tendencies on the personality development of adolescents represents a critical theoretical and practical issue in the field of adolescent development. In the context of China's collectivist culture, the developmental trajectories of and the interaction between sensation seeking and collectivism among adolescents remain largely unknown. Method This study examined the heterogeneity of the joint growth patterns of sensation seeking and collectivism and their interactions across distinct latent trajectory classes. We collected 3‐year longitudinal data from 20,225 Chinese adolescents (60.45% male). Results We identified four unique joint developmental trajectories. Contrary to the traditional view that collectivism inherently suppresses sensation seeking, most adolescents (89.52%) exhibited synchronous growth of both dimensions. The development of adolescent sensation‐seeking behavior was significantly influenced by their alignment with societal contribution‐driven happiness and an unquestioning prioritization of collective interests. Conclusions Our findings underscore the nuanced interplay and commonalities between sensation seeking and collectivism development among Chinese adolescents.

Personality changes during adolescence predict young adult psychosis proneness and mediate gene-environment interplays of schizophrenia risk

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2024
PSYCHOL MED

Background Psychotic symptoms in adolescence are associated with social adversity and genetic risk for schizophrenia. This gene–environment interplay may be mediated by personality, which also develops during adolescence. We hypothesized that (i) personality development predicts later Psychosis Proneness Signs (PPS), and (ii) personality traits mediate the association between genetic risk for schizophrenia, social adversities, and psychosis. Methods A total of 784 individuals were selected within the IMAGEN cohort (Discovery Sample-DS: 526; Validation Sample-VS: 258); personality was assessed at baseline (13–15 years), follow-up-1 (FU1, 16–17 years), and FU2 (18–20 years). Latent growth curve models served to compute coefficients of individual change across 14 personality variables. A support vector machine algorithm employed these coefficients to predict PPS at FU3 (21–24 years). We computed mediation analyses, including personality-based predictions and self-reported bullying victimization as serial mediators along the pathway between polygenic risk score (PRS) for schizophrenia and FU3 PPS. We replicated the main findings also on 1132 adolescents recruited within the TRAILS cohort. Results Growth scores in neuroticism and openness predicted PPS with 65.6% balanced accuracy in the DS, and 69.5% in the VS Mediations revealed a significant positive direct effect of PRS on PPS (confidence interval [CI] 0.01–0.15), and an indirect effect, serially mediated by personality-based predictions and victimization (CI 0.006–0.01), replicated in the TRAILS cohort (CI 0.0004–0.004). Conclusions Adolescent personality changes may predate future experiences associated with psychosis susceptibility. PPS personality-based predictions mediate the relationship between PRS and victimization toward adult PPS, suggesting that gene–environment correlations proposed for psychosis are partly mediated by personality.

Identifying Psychosocial and Ecological Determinants of Enthusiasm In Youth: Integrative Cross-Sectional Analysis Using Machine Learning

Article

Sep 2024

Background Understanding the factors contributing to mental well-being in youth is a public health priority. Self-reported enthusiasm for the future may be a useful indicator of well-being and has been shown to forecast social and educational success. Typically, cross-domain measures of ecological and health-related factors with relevance to public policy and programming are analyzed either in isolation or in targeted models assessing bivariate interactions. Here, we capitalize on a large provincial data set and machine learning to identify the sociodemographic, experiential, behavioral, and other health-related factors most strongly associated with levels of subjective enthusiasm for the future in a large sample of elementary and secondary school students. Objective The aim of this study was to identify the sociodemographic, experiential, behavioral, and other health-related factors associated with enthusiasm for the future in elementary and secondary school students using machine learning. Methods We analyzed data from 13,661 participants in the 2019 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) (grades 7-12) with complete data for our primary outcome: self-reported levels of enthusiasm for the future. We used 50 variables as model predictors, including demographics, perception of school experience (i.e., school connectedness and academic performance), physical activity and quantity of sleep, substance use, and physical and mental health indicators. Models were built using a nonlinear decision tree–based machine learning algorithm called extreme gradient boosting to classify students as indicating either high or low levels of enthusiasm. Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) values were used to interpret the generated models, providing a ranking of feature importance and revealing any nonlinear or interactive effects of the input variables. Results The top 3 contributors to higher self-rated enthusiasm for the future were higher self-rated physical health (SHAP value=0.62), feeling that one is able to discuss problems or feelings with their parents (SHAP value=0.49), and school belonging (SHAP value=0.32). Additionally, subjective social status at school was a top feature and showed nonlinear effects, with benefits to predicted enthusiasm present in the mid-to-high range of values. Conclusions Using machine learning, we identified key factors related to self-reported enthusiasm for the future in a large sample of young students: perceived physical health, subjective school social status and connectedness, and quality of relationship with parents. A focus on perceptions of physical health and school connectedness should be considered central to improving the well-being of youth at the population level.

A Hierarchical Model of the Symptom-Level Structure of Psychopathology in Youth

Article

Full-text available

Aug 2024

More comprehensive modeling of psychopathology in youth is needed to facilitate a developmentally informed expansion of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) model. In this study, we examined a symptom-level model of the structure of psychopathology in children and adolescents—most aged 11 to 17 years—bringing together data from large clinical, community, and representative samples ( N = 18,290) covering nearly all major forms of mental disorders and related content domains (e.g., aggression). The resulting hierarchical and dimensional model was based on the points of convergence among three statistical approaches and included 15 narrow dimensions nested under four broad dimensions of (a) internalizing, (b) externalizing, (c) eating pathology, and (d) uncontrollable worry, obsessions, and compulsions. We position these findings within the context of the existing literature and articulate implications for future research. Ultimately, these findings add to the rapidly growing literature on the structure of psychopathology in youth and move a step closer toward quantifying (dis)continuities in psychopathology’s structure across the life span.

Motivación intrínseca y consumo de drogas: Una revisión de estudios sobre los motivos de curiosidad y de expansión

Article

Full-text available

Jun 2024

Alejandro Borrego-Ruiz

RESUMEN: El inicio en el consumo de drogas suele ocurrir durante la juventud de las personas, debido a motivos como la curiosidad y el afán por experimentar. Este trabajo tuvo como finalidad analizar una selección de estudios recientes que abordan y resaltan los motivos intrínsecos de curiosidad y de expansión vinculados al consumo de drogas. Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda bibliográfica con el propósito de seleccionar artículos en función de una serie de criterios establecidos. Un total de 32 artículos fueron incluidos en la revisión para su posterior evaluación. El motivo intrínseco más frecuentemente reportado en los estudios fue el de curiosidad (62.5%), seguido por los motivos de expansión (56.25%), que implican la experimentación, la autoexploración y la búsqueda de una compresión más profunda. Que la curiosidad se sitúe como uno de los principales motivos entre la población para el acercamiento a las drogas constituye un dato de crucial importancia con vistas a la elaboración de programas que fomenten el conocimiento y que disipen la incertidumbre propia de los jóvenes, especialmente de los que son adolescentes, dado que es la etapa vital en la que se suele dar el primer contacto con estas sustancias. ABSTRACT: The beginning of drug use usually occurs during the youth of people, due to reasons such as curiosity and the desire to experiment. The goal of this work was to analyze a selection of recent studies that address and highlight the intrinsic motives of curiosity and expansion linked to drug use. A bibliographic search was performed with the purpose of selecting articles based on a series of established criteria. A total of 32 articles were included in the review for further assessment. The intrinsic motive most frequently reported in the studies was curiosity (62.5%), followed by expansion motives (56.25%), which involve experimentation, self-exploration and the search for deeper understanding. The fact that curiosity is one of the main reasons for the initiation of drug use among the population is crucially important information for the development of programs that promote knowledge and dispel the uncertainty of young people, especially of those who are adolescents, since it is the vital stage in which the first contact with drugs usually occurs.

Distinct personality profiles associated with disease risk and diagnostic status in eating disorders

Article

Full-text available

May 2024
J AFFECT DISORDERS

Background: Personality traits have been associated with eating disorders (EDs) and comorbidities. However, it is unclear which personality profiles are premorbid risk rather than diagnostic markers. Methods: We explored associations between personality and ED-related mental health symptoms using canonical correlation analyses. We investigated personality risk profiles in a longitudinal sample, associating personality at age 14 with onset of mental health symptoms at ages 16 or 19. Diagnostic markers were identified in a sample of young adults with anorexia nervosa (AN, n = 58) or bulimia nervosa (BN, n = 63) and healthy controls (n = 47). Results: Two significant premorbid risk profiles were identified, successively explaining 7.93 % and 5.60 % of shared variance (Rc2). The first combined neuroticism (canonical loading, rs = 0.68), openness (rs = 0.32), impulsivity (rs = 0.29), and conscientiousness (rs = 0.27), with future onset of anxiety symptoms (rs = 0.87) and dieting (rs = 0.58). The other, combined lower agreeableness (rs = −0.60) and lower anxiety sensitivity (rs = −0.47), with future deliberate self-harm (rs = 0.76) and purging (rs = 0.55). Personality profiles associated with “core psychopathology” in both AN (Rc2 = 80.56 %) and BN diagnoses (Rc2 = 64.38 %) comprised hopelessness (rs = 0.95, 0.87) and neuroticism (rs = 0.93, 0.94). For BN, this profile also included impulsivity (rs = 0.60). Additionally, extraversion (rs = 0.41) was associated with lower depressive risk in BN. Limitations: The samples were not ethnically diverse. The clinical cohort included only females. There was non-random attrition in the longitudinal sample. Conclusions: The results suggest neuroticism and impulsivity as risk and diagnostic markers for EDs, with neuroticism and hopelessness as shared diagnostic markers. They may inform the design of more personalised prevention and intervention strategies.

Removing Stigmatizing Language in Self-Reports: Effects on Psychometric Properties and Respondent Beliefs

Article

Full-text available

May 2024
Int J Ment Health Addiction

Bryant M. Stone

Stigma facilitates negative outcomes for those with substance use disorders (SUDs), such as restricted healthcare access, job loss, and social ostracization. Many professionals advocate for reducing stigmatizing language in their conduct. However, there remains a notable degree of stigmatizing language in self-report measures. Thus, I aimed to examine psychometric changes from replacing stigmatizing language in self-report measures and test if these changes affect the respondents’ stigmatizing beliefs. I conducted a randomly assigned double-masked experiment with undergraduates (n = 125; Mage = 19.18, SD = 1.05; 62% female; 58% White), Reddit users (n = 224; Mage = 31.28, SD = 9.21; 58% male; 82% White), and Buddhist Recovery Network members (n = 136; Mage = 50.48, SD = 11.50; 61% male; 94% White). The participants completed either the original version of the Addictions Belief Inventory consisting of stigmatizing terms (e.g., drug abuser) or a modified version consisting of non-stigmatizing terms (e.g., those with SUDs). I found no changes to the psychometric properties when I compared the factor structures, distributions, and construct validities. There was a minor reduction in one subscale’s internal consistency and a large change in the mean scores, which varied by sample type. Removing stigmatizing language did not change the measure’s psychometric properties notably. However, I found that removing stigmatizing language reduces stigmatizing beliefs and that this reduction was substantial, especially for those who have no history of SUDs, such as some undergraduates or Reddit users. These findings support an ongoing effort to reduce stigmatizing language among professionals and academics.

A Hierarchical Model of the Symptom-Level Structure of Psychopathology in Youth

Preprint

Full-text available

Sep 2023

More comprehensive modelling of psychopathology in youth is needed to facilitate a developmentally informed expansion of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) model. This study examined a symptom-level model of the structure of psychopathology in youth—most aged 11-17 years—bringing together data from large clinical, community, and representative samples (N = 18,290) and with coverage of nearly all major forms of mental disorders and related content domains (e.g., aggression). The resulting hierarchical and dimensional model was based on the points of convergence among three statistical approaches and included fifteen narrow dimensions nested under four broad dimensions of Internalizing; Externalizing; Eating Pathology; and Uncontrollable Worry, Obsessions, and Compulsions. We position these findings within the context of the existing literature, and articulate implications for future research. Ultimately, these findings add to the rapidly growing literature on the structure of psychopathology in youth and take us a step closer towards understanding (dis-)continuities in psychopathology’s structure across the lifespan.

A randomised controlled feasibility trial of intermittent theta burst stimulation with an open longer-term follow-up for young people with persistent anorexia nervosa (RaISE): Study protocol

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2024
EUR EAT DISORD REV

Objective We present the protocol of a feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) for young people with anorexia nervosa (AN). Effective first‐line psychological therapies exist for young people with AN, but little is known about how to treat those who do not respond. Non‐invasive neuromodulation, such as iTBS, could address unmet treatment needs by targeting neurocircuitry associated with the development and/or maintenance of AN. Design Sixty‐six young people (aged 13–30 years) with persistent AN will be randomly allocated to receive 20 sessions of real or sham iTBS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in addition to their usual treatment. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, post‐treatment (1‐month post‐randomisation) and 4‐months post‐randomisation (when unblinding will occur). Additional open follow‐ups will be conducted at 12‐ and 24‐months post‐randomisation. The primary feasibility outcome is the proportion of participants retained in the study at 4‐months. Secondary outcomes include AN symptomatology, other psychopathology, quality of life, service utilisation, neurocognitive processes, and neuroimaging measures. Discussion Findings will inform the development of a future large‐scale RCT. They will also provide exploratory data on treatment efficacy, and neural and neurocognitive predictors and correlates of treatment response to iTBS in AN.

Pathways to opioid use and implications for prevention: voices of young adults in recovery

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2024
SUBST ABUSE TREAT PR

Background Opioid use remains a major public health issue, especially among young adults. Despite investment in harm reduction and supply-side strategies such as reducing overprescribing and safe medication disposal, little is known about demand-side issues, such as reasons for use and pathways to opioid use. Adolescents and young adults who struggle with opioid use disorder (OUD) are multifaceted individuals with varied individual histories, experiences, challenges, skills, relationships, and lives. Methods To inform the development of prevention strategies that hold promise for addressing opioid use, this study employs brief structured surveys and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 30 young adults (ages 18–29; 19 female, 23 White, 16 from Suburban areas) in recovery from OUD. For survey data, we used descriptive statistics to summarize the means and variance of retrospectively reported risk and protective factors associated with opioid use. For in-depth interview data, we used a combination of thematic analysis and codebook approaches to generate common themes and experiences shared by participants. Results Surveys revealed that the most endorsed risk factors pertained to emotions (emotional neglect and emotional abuse) followed by sexual abuse, physical abuse, and physical neglect. Themes generated from qualitative analyses reveal challenging experiences during adolescence, such as unaddressed mental health, social, and emotional needs, which were often reported as reasons for opioid initiation and use. Through surveys and interviews, we also identified positive assets, such as skills and social relationships that were present for many participants during adolescence. Conclusion Implications include the need for universal prevention strategies that include emotion-focused interventions and supports alongside current harm reduction and environmental strategies to regulate prescriptions; the potential utility of more emotion-focused items being included on screening tools; and more voices of young people in recovery.

Personality profile of patients with alcohol related disorders: A cross sectional study in a Medical College of Eastern India

Article

Jun 2022

Background: In India, one of the most common substance for which people seek treatment is alcohol. 17.1% of adultpopulation consume alcohol in India with male to female ratio being 17:1. Various factors have been associated with theonset and maintenance of substance use disorders, for example, family history, getting involved with deviant peer group,presence of other psychiatric comorbidities and personality factors.Methods: 70 people with alcohol related disorders diagnosed by DSM 5 were interviewed with SADQ and NEO FFI3 toassess severity of alcohol related disorders and personality of those patients.Results: The study shows that most of the AUD patients were male. Mean age of AUD patients was 40.96±8.319. Majorityof the AUD patients belonged to rural background. Patients with mild physical dependency had high conscientiousness(40.33±4.73) followed by agreeableness (38.00±5.57) and openness to experience (35.00±3.46). Patients with severe alcoholdependence had high neuroticism (32.25±4.22) and high extraversion (31.50±3.94). Discussion: Previous studies showedagreeableness and conscientiousness were high in alcohol related disorders. Our findings are also in the same way butopenness to experience was neutral in our study. Hence, there was significant association between the personality profilefactors and alcohol dependence and severity of alcohol dependence.

Tasting Through the Lens of the Mind: The Impact of Personality and Mental Health on Wine Sensory and Psychoactive Effects

Article

Mar 2025

Identification of exposome clusters based on societal, social, built and natural environment – results of the ABCD cohort study

Article

Feb 2025
ENVIRON INT

Negative affectivity drivers of impulsivity in opioid use disorder

Article

Jan 2025

Impulsivity behaviors and white matter mediate the relationship between genetic risk for cannabis use disorder and early cannabis use in adolescents

Article

Jan 2025
ADDICTION

Background and Aim Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is strongly influenced by genetic factors; however the mechanisms underpinning this association are not well understood. This study investigated whether a polygenic risk score (PRS) based on a genome‐wide association study for CUD in adults predicts cannabis use in adolescents and whether the association can be explained by inter‐individual variation in structural properties of brain white matter or risk‐taking behaviors. Design and setting Longitudinal and cross‐sectional analyses using data from the IMAGEN cohort, a European longitudinal study integrating genetic, neuroimaging and behavioral measures. We measured associations between PRS for CUD, novelty and sensation seeking traits and fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter tracts. Mediation modeling explored whether novelty seeking and FA mediated the association between the PRS and cannabis use. Participants Participants were assessed at 14 ( n = 1762), 19 ( n = 1175) and 23 ( n = 1139) years old. Measurements European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, substance use risk profile scale, Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence, temperament and character inventory, Kirby Monetary Questionnaire, diffusor tensor imaging and CUD‐PRS. Findings CUD‐PRS was associated with adolescent total cannabis exposure [ P < 0.001, beta = 0.098 (95% confidence interval = 0.059, 0.137)] as well as with other substance use measures [alcohol P = 0.002, beta = 0.058 (0.020, 0.096); cigarettes smoked P < 0.001, beta = 0.086 (0.044, 0.128); fargestrom score P < 0.001, beta = 0.062 (0.028, 0.096); drug score P < 0.001, beta = 0.106 (0.065, 0.147)]. CUD‐PRS was also associated with impulsivity, risk‐taking behaviors [impulsivity P < 0.001, beta = 0.106 (0.060, 0.142); sensation seeking P < 0.001, beta = 0.094 (0.0523, 0.1357); novelty seeking P < 0.001, beta = 0.105 (0.064, 0.146); discounting task P < 0.001, beta = 0.051 (0.013, 0.089)] and average FA [ P < 0.001, beta = −0.010 (−0.015, −0.005)]. Longitudinal mediation models showed that these behaviors and brain measures could mediate the association of PRS with cannabis use [overall indirect effect for novelty seeking P < 0.001, beta = 0.048 (0.028, 0.068); impulsivity P = 0.016, beta = 0.019 (0.004, 0.035); sensation seeking P < 0.001, beta = 0.034 (0.017, 0.05)]. Conclusions The genetic risk of adult cannabis use disorder appears to be associated with substance use behavior and white matter structure as early as age 14. The observed mediation effect is consistent with the notion that genetic risk increases novelty seeking in a way that leads to more cannabis use in adolescents.

Machine learning models for diagnosis and risk prediction in eating disorders, depression, and alcohol use disorder

Article

Dec 2024
J AFFECT DISORDERS

Multimodal Investigations of Structural and Functional Brain Alterations in Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa and Their Relationships to Psychopathology

Article

Full-text available

Nov 2024
BIOL PSYCHIAT

Effectiviteit van Take it Personal!+, een behandeling voor problematisch middelengebruik bij mensen met een LVB

Article

Sep 2024

Do Acculturative Gap Conflicts Impact Parenting Practices and Youth E-Cigarette Use? Tests of Moderated Mediation

Article

Aug 2024
SUBST USE MISUSE

Background: Latino/a youth are at increased risk of electronic (e)-cigarette or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use; thus, identifying factors impacting initiation is critical. Parenting practices reflecting warmth (e.g., relationship quality) and control (e.g., parental monitoring) and substance use-specific parenting (e.g., reactions to use, parenting self-efficacy) may influence youth substance use. For Latino/a youth, tensions from intergenerational acculturative differences are linked to substance use. We investigated ENDS use-specific parenting as a mediator between general parenting and youth ENDS use, examining whether acculturative gap conflict moderated the association between general and ENDS use-specific parenting. We expected mediation among families experiencing low acculturative gap conflicts. Method: Data were analyzed over two waves from a predominantly White and Latino/a sample of caregiver-child dyads (N = 143) who identified with a culture in addition to or distinct from American. Youth (Mage = 14.9 years, SD = 0.67; 62.9% female) reported relationship quality, parental monitoring, caregiver ENDS attitudes and reactions, acculturative gap conflicts, and ENDS use. Caregivers reported on ENDS use-specific parenting self-efficacy. Two moderated multiple mediator regression models (i.e., relationship quality, parental monitoring) were estimated. Results: Among youth reporting low and mean levels of acculturative gap conflict, ENDS use-specific parenting self-efficacy mediated the association between relationship quality and reduced ENDS use. There was no evidence for an interaction in the parental monitoring model. Conclusions: In families experiencing low levels of acculturative gap conflict, relationship quality may impact ENDS use through caregivers' confidence in their ability to prevent child ENDS use.

Characterising illness stages and recovery trajectories of eating disorders in young people via remote measurement technology (STORY): a multi-centre prospective cohort study protocol

Article

Full-text available

May 2024
BMC PSYCHIATRY

Background Eating disorders (EDs) are serious, often chronic, conditions associated with pronounced morbidity, mortality, and dysfunction increasingly affecting young people worldwide. Illness progression, stages and recovery trajectories of EDs are still poorly characterised. The STORY study dynamically and longitudinally assesses young people with different EDs (restricting; bingeing/bulimic presentations) and illness durations (earlier; later stages) compared to healthy controls. Remote measurement technology (RMT) with active and passive sensing is used to advance understanding of the heterogeneity of earlier and more progressed clinical presentations and predictors of recovery or relapse. Methods STORY follows 720 young people aged 16–25 with EDs and 120 healthy controls for 12 months. Online self-report questionnaires regularly assess ED symptoms, psychiatric comorbidities, quality of life, and socioeconomic environment. Additional ongoing monitoring using multi-parametric RMT via smartphones and wearable smart rings (‘Ōura ring’) unobtrusively measures individuals’ daily behaviour and physiology (e.g., Bluetooth connections, sleep, autonomic arousal). A subgroup of participants completes additional in-person cognitive and neuroimaging assessments at study-baseline and after 12 months. Discussion By leveraging these large-scale longitudinal data from participants across ED diagnoses and illness durations, the STORY study seeks to elucidate potential biopsychosocial predictors of outcome, their interplay with developmental and socioemotional changes, and barriers and facilitators of recovery. STORY holds the promise of providing actionable findings that can be translated into clinical practice by informing the development of both early intervention and personalised treatment that is tailored to illness stage and individual circumstances, ultimately disrupting the long-term burden of EDs on individuals and their families.

The effectiveness of the TRACE online nutrition intervention in improving dietary intake, sleep quality and physical activity levels for Australian adults with food addiction: a randomised controlled trial

Article

Apr 2024
J HUM NUTR DIET

Background Few interventions for food addiction (FA) report on dietary intake variables. The present study comprised a three‐arm randomised controlled trial in adults with symptoms of FA. The aim was to evaluate dietary intake, sleep and physical activity resulting from a dietitian‐led telehealth intervention at 3 months. Methods Adults with ≥3 symptoms of FA and a body mass index > 18.5 kg/m ² were recruited. Dietary intake including energy, nutrients and diet quality were assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire in addition to sleep quality and physical activity (total min) and compared between groups and over time. Personalised dietary goals set by participants were examined to determine whether improvements in percent energy from core and non‐core foods were reported. Results The active intervention group was superior compared to the passive intervention and control groups for improvements in percent energy from core (6.4%/day [95% confidence interval (CI) −0.0 to 12.9], p = 0.049), non‐core foods (−6.4%/day [95% CI −12.9 to 0.0], p = 0.049), sweetened drinks (−1.7%/day [95% CI −2.9 to −0.4], p = 0.013), takeaway foods (−2.3%/day [95% CI −4.5 to −0.1], p = 0.045) and sodium (−478 mg/day [95% CI −765 to −191 mg], p = 0.001). Conclusions A dietitian‐led telehealth intervention for Australian adults with FA found significant improvements in dietary intake variables. Setting personalised goals around nutrition and eating behaviours was beneficial for lifestyle change.

Dietary and quality-of-life outcomes of the FoodFix intervention for addictive eating: a short report

Article

Mar 2024
J HUM NUTR DIET

Background: Interest in addictive eating continues to grow from both a research and clinical perspective. To date, dietary assessment alongside food addiction status is limited, with management options for addictive eating behaviours variable, given the overlap with myriad conditions. The aim of this study was to report the dietary intake and quality-of-life outcomes from a personality-targeted motivational interviewing intervention delivered by dietitians using telehealth. Methods: The study was conducted in adults exceeding their healthy-weight range with symptoms of addictive eating, as defined by the Yale Food Addiction Scale. The 52 participants were randomised to either intervention or control, with 49 participants commencing the intervention. Individuals participated in the 3-month, three-session FoodFix interventions, with dietary outcomes assessed by the Australian Eating Survey and quality of life assessed using the SF-36 at baseline and 3 months. Results: There were small-to-moderate effect sizes, specifically in the intervention group for decreased added sugar intake, increased protein intake, increased meat quality and increased vegetable servings per day. Six out of eight quality-of-life domains had small-to-moderate effect sizes. Conclusions: This intervention has highlighted the need for further research in larger sample sizes to assess dietary behaviour change by those who self-report addictive eating.

Identifying brief intervention factors to improve cannabis related outcomes in adolescents and young adults: A systematic review of sample characteristics and intervention components

Article

Mar 2024

Effect of a selective personality-targeted prevention program on 7-year illicit substance related outcomes: A secondary analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial

Article

Mar 2024
DRUG ALCOHOL DEPEN

Idiographic personality networks: Stability, variability and when they become problematic

Article

Feb 2024
J RES PERS

Machine learning models for diagnosis and risk prediction in eating disorders, depression, and alcohol use disorder

Preprint

Full-text available

Feb 2024

This study uses machine learning models to uncover diagnostic and risk prediction markers for eating disorders (EDs), major depressive disorder (MDD), and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Utilizing case-control samples (ages 18-25 years) and a longitudinal population-based sample (n=1,851), the models, incorporating diverse data domains, achieved high accuracy in classifying EDs, MDD, and AUD from healthy controls. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC-ROC [95% CI]) reached 0.92 [0.86-0.97] for AN and 0.91 [0.85-0.96] for BN, without relying on body mass index as a predictor. The classification accuracies for MDD (0.91 [0.88-0.94]) and AUD (0.80 [0.74-0.85]) were also high. Each data domain emerged as accurate classifiers individually, with personality distinguishing AN, BN, and their controls with AUC-ROCs ranging from 0.77 to 0.89. The models demonstrated high transdiagnostic potential, as those trained for EDs were also accurate in classifying AUD and MDD from healthy controls, and vice versa (AUC-ROCs, 0.75-0.93). Shared predictors, such as neuroticism, hopelessness, and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, were identified as reliable classifiers. For risk prediction in the longitudinal population sample, the models exhibited moderate performance (AUC-ROCs, 0.64-0.71), highlighting the potential of combining multi-domain data for precise diagnostic and risk prediction applications in psychiatry.

A three-arm randomised controlled trial of a telehealth intervention targeting improvement in addictive eating for Australian adults (the TRACE program)

Article

Jan 2024
APPETITE

A Comparative Study of Personality Profile among Patients with Alcohol use Disorder and Opioid use Disorder

Article

Jun 2022

Background: In India, two most common substances for which people seek treatment are alcohol and opioids. Theconceptualization of personality in substance users shifted from the notion of an “addictive personality” to recognitionthat certain personality traits specifically impulsivity, sensation-seeking, novelty-seeking, low agreeableness andconscientiousness, high neuroticism are associated with substance use disorders and influence their development,maintenance and course.Methods: 70 people with alcohol related disorders and 70 patients with opioid related disorders diagnosed by DSM 5were interviewed with SADQ, LEEDS and NEO FFI3 to assess severity of substance related disorders and personality ofthose patients.Results: The study showed than neuroticism (32.25±4.22) was more in severe alcohol dependence patients and sowas extraversion (31.50±3.94). agreeableness (38.00±5.57) and conscientiousness (40.33±4.73) was more in the mildphysical dependency group. Openness to experience had similar ranges in all the 3 dependency groups. Neuroticism(38.25±3.55) was very high in high dependency OUD group and so was extraversion (34.92±3.65). Openness to experience,agreeableness and conscientiousness had neutral findings in all the three dependence category.Discussion: Previous studies showed agreeableness and conscientiousness were high in alcohol related disorders and inOpioid dependant patients neuroticism and extraversion were high. Our findings are also in the same way. Hence, therewas significant association between the personality profile factors and the type of substance dependence and severity.

Validation of a System of Classifying Female Substance Abusers on the Basis of Personality and Motivational Risk Factors for Substance Abuse

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2000

This study explored the validity of classifying a community-recruited sample of substance-abusing women (N = 293) according to 4 personality risk factors for substance abuse (anxiety sensitivity, introversion–hopelessness, sensation seeking, and impulsivity). Cluster analyses reliably identified 5 subtypes of women who demonstrated differential lifetime risk for various addictive and nonaddictive disorders. An anxiety-sensitive subtype demonstrated greater lifetime risk for anxiolytic dependence, somatization disorder, and simple phobia, whereas an introverted–hopeless subtype evidenced a greater lifetime risk for opioid dependence, social phobia, and panic and depressive disorders. Sensation seeking was associated with exclusive alcohol dependence, and impulsivity was associated with higher rates of antisocial personality disorder and cocaine and alcohol dependence. Finally, a low personality risk subtype demonstrated lower lifetime rates of substance dependence and psychopathology.

Efficacy of Brief Coping Skills Interventions That Match Different Personality Profiles of Female Substance Abusers

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2000

Female substance abusers recruited from the community were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 3 brief interventions that differentially targeted their personality and reasons for drug use. The 90-min interventions were: (a) a motivation-matched intervention involving personality-specific motivational and coping skills training, (b) a motivational control intervention involving a motivational film and a supportive discussion with a therapist, and (c) a motivation-mismatched intervention targeting a theoretically different personality profile. Assessment 6 months later (N = 198) indicated that only the matched intervention proved to be more effective than the motivational control intervention in reducing frequency and severity of problematic alcohol and drug use and preventing use of multiple medical services. These findings indicate promise for a client–treatment matching strategy that focuses on personality-specific motives for substance abuse.

Anxiety sensitivity and substance use and abuse

Chapter

Full-text available

Jan 1999

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of anxiety sensations which arises from beliefs that these sensations have harmful somatic, social, or psychological consequences. Over the past decade, AS has attracted a great deal of attention from researchers and clinicians with more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles published. In addition, AS has been the subject of numerous symposia, papers, and posters at professional conventions. Why this growing interest? Theory and research suggest that AS plays an important role in the etiology and maintenance of many forms of psychopathology, including anxiety disorders, depression, chronic pain, and substance abuse. Bringing together experts from a variety of different areas, this volume offers the first comprehensive state-of-the-art review of AS--its conceptual foundations, assessment, causes, consequences, and treatment--and points new directions for future work. It will prove to be an invaluable resource for clinicians, researchers, students, and trainees in all mental health professions.

Personality Pathways to Impulsive Behavior and Their Relations to Deviance: Results from Three Samples: Offender Decision Making (Guest Editors: Greg Pogarsky and Daniel S. Nagin)

Article

Full-text available

Dec 2004

The importance of the relation between impulsivity and deviance is well-acknowledged among criminologists. However, differences in the representations of impulsivity, some merely titular and others substantive, may cloud our understanding of these relations. The current study examines the argument, offered by Whiteside and Lynam Pers. Individuals Diff. (2000) 30: 669–689, that there may be four distinct personality pathways through which impulsive behavior may be manifested. Across three samples (two undergraduate, one community), we examine the validity of a four-factor structure of impulsivity, test whether these four pathways manifest divergent relations with various forms of deviant behavior such as crime and substance use, as well as laboratory manifestations of aggressive and impulsive behavior, and examine the invariance of these results across gender. The results support the existence of a four-factor model of impulsivity, the importance of two specific personality pathways in relation to self-reports of deviance (lack of premeditation and sensation seeking), as well as actual behavior, and suggest that these pathways are important for both men and women.

The factor structure of the Reckless Behavior Questionnaire

Article

Full-text available

Jun 1992
J YOUTH ADOLESCENCE

In this study, the relative fits of three different factor-structure models of adolescent reckless behavior were examined using the Reckless Behavior Questionnaire (RBQ) with individual samples of college and high school students. Both one- and two-factor models were found to be satisfactory representations of the RBQ with both samples. In order to test the construct validity of the one- and two-factor models, relations between instruments generally associated with reckless behavior were examined by gender. Using the two-factor model, gender differences were found for both the college and high school samples; thus, it was determined to be the more parsimonious fit of the data given previous research supporting gender differences. Findings are discussed in terms of current conceptualizations of factor patterns of adolescent problem behavior and implications for future investigations.

A Systematic Method for Clinical Description and Classification of Personality Variants

Article

Full-text available

Jun 1987
ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT

Robert Cloninger

• A systematic method for clinical description and classification of both normal and abnormal personality variants is proposed based on a general biosocial theory of personality. Three dimensions of personality are defined in terms of the basic stimulus-response characteristics of novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and reward dependence. The possible underlying genetic and neuroanatomical bases of observed variation in these dimensions are reviewed and considered in relation to adaptive responses to environmental challenge. The functional interaction of these dimensions leads to integrated patterns of differential response to novelty, punishment, and reward. The possible tridimensional combinations of extreme (high or low) variants on these basic stimulusresponse characteristics correspond closely to traditional descriptions of personality disorders. This reconciles dimensional and categorical approaches to personality description. It also implies that the underlying structure of normal adaptive traits is the same as that of maladaptive personality traits, except for schizotypal and paranoid disorders.

Reasons for Drinking Alcohol: Relationships With DSM–IV Alcohol Diagnoses and Alcohol Consumption in a Community Sample

Article

Full-text available

Sep 1998

The relationship between self-reported reasons for drinking and the DSM-IV alcohol use disorders and alcohol consumption was examined. Participants were 777 heavy drinking community residents who completed the Alcohol Use Disorders and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule (B. F. Grant and D. Hasin, 1992) and a self-report assessment battery. Drinking to reduce negative affect was greater among drinkers with a current DSM-IV alcohol dependence diagnosis compared with drinkers with no DSM-IV alcohol use disorder. The DSM-IV alcohol abuse and the no-diagnosis groups did not differ in reasons for drinking. A positive association was demonstrated between drinking to reduce negative affect and frequency of intoxication. Drinking for enjoyment was positively associated with the frequency of binge drinking, frequency of intoxication, and average daily ethanol consumption. However, the relationship between drinking for enjoyment and average daily ethanol consumption was stronger among those with no alcohol disorder compared to those with DSM-IV alcohol dependence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Alcohol and Depression: Effects on Mood and Biased Processing of Self-Relevant Information

Article

Full-text available

Dec 1995

Alcohol's effects on mood and processing of self-relevant information were studied in a sample of 57 college students (39 men and 18 women). Participants were blocked on level of depression and were randomly assigned to alcohol or placebo conditions. After beverage consumption, participants processed trait adjectives under self-relevant and semantic-processing instructions. Results showed that biased processing of depressed content adjectives by depressed participants under placebo conditions was reversed after consuming alcohol. Further, reduced recall of depressed-content, self-relevant information after alcohol consumption was significantly related to alcohol-enhanced mood in depressed participants. Results are discussed in relation to mechanisms of reinforcement that may link the coexistence of alcohol abuse and affective disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Development and Validation of a Three-Dimensional Measure of Drinking Motives

Article

Full-text available

Jun 1992

Despite consistent evidence that alcohol can be used to cope with negative emotions or to enhance positive emotions, research on drinking motives has focused primarily on coping and social motives. This article reports on the development of a 3-factor measure that also assesses enhancement motives. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the authors demonstrated that enhancement motives are empirically distinct from coping and social motives and that a correlated 3-factor model fits the data equally well across race and gender groups in a large representative sample. Each drinking motive was also shown to predict distinct aspects of alcohol use and abuse. Finally, interaction analyses suggested that coping and enhancement motives differ in the magnitude of their effects on drinking behavior across Blacks and Whites and that enhancement motives differ in their effects across men and women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Motivations for Alcohol Use Among Adolescents: Development and Validation of a Four-Factor Model

Article

Full-text available

Jun 1994

Mary Lynne Cooper

A 4-factor measure of drinking motives based on a conceptual model by M. Cox and E. Klinger (see PA, Vol 75:32975; see also 1990) is presented. Using data from a representative household sample of 1,243 Black and White adolescents, confirmatory factor analyses showed that the hypothesized model provided an excellent fit to the data and that the factor pattern was invariant across gender, race, and age. Each drinking motive was related to a distinct pattern of contextual antecedents and drinking-related outcomes, and these relationships did not generally vary across demographic subgroups. Results support both the conceptual validity of Cox and Klinger's model and the utility of this measure for clinical and research purposes across a diverse range of adolescent populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Methodological Considerations in the Refinement of Clinical Assessment Instruments

Article

Full-text available

Sep 1995

Instrument refinement refers to any set of procedures designed to improve an instrument's representation of a construct. Though often neglected, it is essential to the development of reliable and valid measures. Five objectives of instrument refinement are proposed: identification of measures' hierarchical or aggregational structure, establishment of internal consistency of undimensional facets of measures, determination of content homogeneity of undimensional facets, inclusion of items that discriminate at the desired level of attribute intensity, and replication of instrument properties on an independent sample. The use of abbreviated scales is not recommended. The refinement of behavioral observation procedures is discussed, and the role of measure refinement in theory development is emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Differentiating Anxiety and Depression: A Test of the Cognitive Content-Specificity Hypothesis

Article

Full-text available

Aug 1987

The development and initial psychometric properties of the Cognition Checklist (CCL), a scale to measure the frequency of automatic thoughts relevant to anxiety and depression, are described in this article. Item analyses of the responses of 618 psychiatric outpatients identified a 14-item depression and a 12-item anxiety subscale that were significantly related, respectively, to the revised Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression and Anxiety. Patients diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980) with anxiety disorders had higher mean CCL anxiety scores than patients with DSM-III depression disorders who, in turn, had higher mean CCL depression scores. The validity of the CCL supports the content-specificity hypothesis of the cognitive model of psychopathology (Beck, 1976). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Brief interventions targeting personality risk factors for adolescent substance misuse reduce depression, panic and risk-taking behaviours

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2009

Background: Personality-targeted cognitive-behavioural interventions have been proven to be effective in reducing alcohol-related behaviours in adolescents. Aims: As these interventions target personality traits linked to risk for non-addictive psychopathology, the aim of this study is to examine the extent to which this approach can also prevent the onset or reduce relevant psychological problems in youth. Method: Participants aged 13 – 16 years (n = 423) were randomly assigned to either a personality matched cognitive-behavioural intervention or a no-intervention control. The personality matched interventions targeted four personality risk factors: negative thinking (NT), anxiety sensitivity (AS), impulsivity (IMP), and sensation seeking (SS). Results: Baseline and follow-up data were obtained on depression scores, panic attacks, and reckless behaviour. Results showed a moderate effect of the NT intervention on depression scores, and a similar effect of the AS intervention on panic attack and truancy (i.e., school avoidance). A small but significant intervention effect was found for shoplifting for the entire sample, as well as a moderate intervention effect on this outcome for the IMP intervention group. Conclusions: These intervention effects indicate that personality-targeted interventions designed to prevent alcohol misuse, can concurrently reduce other relevant psychological problems in youth.

An Alcohol Abuse Early Intervention Approach with Mi'kmaq Adolescents

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2007

This paper describes the development of and pilot results for an alcohol abuse early intervention program targeting at-risk Mi'kmaq youth conducted in partnership with the communities in which these youth live and the schools which they attend. This intervention was based on a previously-established, successful psychoeducational and cognitive-behavioral approach for at-risk adolescent drinkers from the majority culture that focuses on dif-ferent personality pathways to alcohol abuse in youth (Conrod, Stewart, Comeau, & MacLean, 2006). Through partnership and collaboration with two Mi'kmaq communities, the original inter-vention was adapted to be culturally appropriate for Mi'kmaq youth. The culturally-adapted intervention included traditional Mi'kmaq knowledge and teachings in order to make the program as meaningful and relevant as possible in the partner commu-nities (Comeau et al., 2005). The pilot results were encourag-ing. Compared to pre-intervention, students who participated in the intervention drank less, engaged in less binge-drinking episodes (i.e., 5 drinks or more/occasion), had fewer alcohol-related problems, and were more likely to abstain from alcohol use. Moreover, students who participated in the intervention also reduced their marijuana use at four-month post-intervention, even though the intervention was specifically designed to tar-get alcohol misuse. No such significant changes were observed in a non-random control group of eligible students who did not participate in the intervention. Future research should determine if this intervention is effective for at-risk youth in other First Na-tions communities across Canada, and whether the promising, but preliminary results with marijuana mean that the benefits of the intervention might extend to adolescents' use of substances other than alcohol.

Relations of social anxiety variables to drinking motives, drinking quantity and frequency, and alcohol-related problems in undergraduates

Article

Full-text available

Jul 2006

Background: The co-morbidity between social phobia and alcohol disorder is well established. Aims: This study investigated the nature of the relationship between traits associated with these disorders. Method: A total of 157 undergraduate drinkers (112 women; 45 men) completed measures tapping aspects of social phobia (i.e., the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale and the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation scale) and drinking behavior (i.e., the Drinking Motives Questionnaire – Revised, quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, and the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index). Results: Correlational analyses (controlling for gender) revealed that: (i) social avoidance and distress was significantly negatively related to drinking frequency; (ii) fear of negative evaluation and social avoidance and distress were both significantly positively related to drinking to cope with negative emotions and to conform to peer pressure; and (iii) fear of negative evaluation was also significantly positively related to drinking to socialize and to drinking problems. The relationship between fear of negative evaluation and drinking problems was mediated by coping and conformity drinking motives. Conclusions: Implications for developing effective integrated treatments for co-occurring social anxiety and alcohol problems are discussed, as are preventative implications.

Differential Sensitivity to Alcohol Reinforcement in Groups of Men at Risk for Distinct Alcoholism Subtypes

Article

Full-text available

May 1998
ALCOHOL CLIN EXP RES

The present study examines the relationship of familial and personality risk factors for alcoholism to individual differences in sensitivity to the positively and negatively reinforcing properties of alcohol. Sixteen sons of male alcoholics with multigenerational family histories of alcoholism (MFH) and 11 men who self-report heightened sensitivity to anxiety (HAS) were compared with 13 age-matched family history negative, low anxiety sensitive men (FH-LAS) on sober and alcohol-intoxicated response patterns. We were interested in the effects of alcohol on specific psychophysiological indices of “stimulus reactivity,” anxiety, and incentive reward. Alcohol significantly dampened heart rate reactivity to aversive stimulation for the MFH and HAS men equally, yet did not for the FH-LAS group. HAS men evidenced idiosyncrasies with respect to alcohol-induced changes in electrodermal reactivity to avenive stimulation (an index of anxiety/fear-dampening), and MFH men demonstrated elevated alcohol-intoxicated resting heart rates (an index of psychostimulation) relative to the FH-LAS men. The results are interpreted as reflecting a sensitivity to the “stimulus reactivity-dampening” effects of alcohol in both high-risk groups, yet population-specific sensitivities to the fear-dampening and psychostimulant properties of alcohol in the HAS and MFH groups, respectively.

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire: An examination of the factorial similarity of P, E, N, and L across 34 countries

Article

Full-text available

Nov 1998
PERS INDIV DIFFER

The factorial similarity of Psychoticism (P), Extraversion (E), Neuroticism (N), and Social Desirability (L), as measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, was assessed using gender- specific data collected from 34 countries. As in an earlier study using data from 24 countries (Eysenck et al., 1985), the Kaiser-Hunka-Bianchini (KHB) procedure was utilised as a measure of factorial similarity. However, given the recent evidence concerning the flawed interpretation of the original KHB coefficients, two other coefficients were used to make an assessment of factorial similarity: a congruence coefficient computed from the KHB maximally congruent orthogonalised factors, and a congruence coefficient computed from the oblique factor patterns of the U.K. target and foreign country matrices. The results of these procedures (using the U.K. factor matrices as targets, toward which each country’s factor pattern is rotated) indicated that: (1) the Eysenck factors are strongly replicable across all 34 countries (2) the modified KHB similarity procedure is sound, given the nature of these particular comparisons (3) in comparison to the oblique pattern matrix congruences, those computed over the KHB maximally congruent matrices were found to be optimal both in terms of size and variation. It was concluded that contrary to pessimistic observations made elsewhere, concerning the validity of the factor comparisons based upon ‘original’ KHB coefficients, the analyses in this paper conclusively demonstrate a significant degree of factorial similarity with the U.K. data, across the 34 comparison countries.

Society and the adolescent self-image

Article

Jan 1965

M. Rosenberg

STAI manual for the state-trait anxiety inventory

Article

Jan 1970

C.D. Spielberger

Reasons for drinking alcohol: Relationships with DSM-IV alcohol diagnoses and alcohol consumption in a community sample

Article

Sep 1998

The relationship between self-reported reasons for drinking and the DSM-IV alcohol use disorders and alcohol consumption was examined. Participants were 777 heavy drinking community residents (424 men and 353 women) who completed the Alcohol Use Disorders and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule (B. F. Grant & D. Hasin, 1992) and a self-report assessment battery. Drinking to reduce negative affect was greater among drinkers with a current DSM-IV alcohol dependence diagnosis compared with drinkers with no DSM-IV alcohol use disorder. The DSM-IV alcohol abuse and the no-diagnosis groups did not differ in reasons for drinking. A positive association was demonstrated between drinking to reduce negative affect and frequency of intoxication. Drinking for enjoyment was positively associated with the frequency of binge drinking, frequency of intoxication, and average daily ethanol consumption. However, the relationship between drinking for enjoyment and average daily ethanol consumption was stronger among those with no alcohol disorder compared to those with DSM-IV alcohol dependence.

Personality-targeted interventions delay the growth of adolescent drinking and binge drinking

Conference Paper

Jun 2007

State-trait anxiety inventory (STAI)

Article

Jan 1970

The neuroscience of personality

Article

Jan 1997

Methodological Considerations in the Refinement of Clinical Assessment Instruments

Article

Sep 1995

Comorbidity of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents

Article

Mar 1992

Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents are reviewed, including differential diagnosis, assessment of symptoms, family history data, developmental features, and clinical correlates. Findings indicate that 15.9% to 61.9% of children identified as anxious or depressed have comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders and that measures of anxiety and depression are highly correlated. Family history data are inconclusive. Differences emerged among children with anxiety, depression, or both disorders. Anxious children were distinguishable from the other 2 groups in that they showed less depressive symptomatology and tended to be younger. The concurrently depressed and anxious group tended to be older and more symptomatic. In this group, the anxiety symptoms tended to predate the depressive symptoms. Findings are discussed in the context of a proposed developmental sequence.

Behavioral Observations at Age 3 Years Predict Adult Psychiatric Disorders

Article

Nov 1996
ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT

Avshalom Caspi

Background: This study provides, to our knowledge, the first empirical test of whether behavioral differences among children in the first 3 years of life are linked to specific adult psychiatric disorders: anxiety and mood disorders, antisocial personality disorder, recidivistic and violent crime, alcoholism, and suicidal behavior.Methods: In a longitudinal-epidemiological study, 3-year-old children were classified into groups based on examiner observations of their behavior. At age 21 years, they were reassessed for psychopathologic functioning using standardized interviews based on DSM-ÏÏJ-R criteria.Results: Although effect sizes were small, undercontrolled (includes children who are impulsive, restless, and distractible) and inhibited (includes children who are shy, fearful, and easily upset) children differed significantly from comparison children in young adulthood. Undercontrolled 3-year-olds were more likely at 21 years to meet diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder and to be involved in crime. Inhibited 3-year-olds were more likely at 21 years to meet diagnostic criteria for depression. Both groups were more likely to attempt suicide, and boys in both groups had alcohol-related problems. Controls for family social class did not change the findings.Conclusions: Some forms of adult psychopathologic abnormality are meaningfully linked, albeit weakly, to behavioral differences observed among children in the third year of life.

An Inventory for Measuring Depression

Article

Jun 1961
ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT

A.T. Beck

The difficulties inherent in obtaining consistent and adequate diagnoses for the purposes of research and therapy have been pointed out by a number of authors. Pasamanick12 in a recent article viewed the low interclinician agreement on diagnosis as an indictment of the present state of psychiatry and called for "the development of objective, measurable and verifiable criteria of classification based not on personal or parochial considerations, but on behavioral and other objectively measurable manifestations."Attempts by other investigators to subject clinical observations and judgments to objective measurement have resulted in a wide variety of psychiatric rating scales.4,15 These have been well summarized in a review article by Lorr11 on "Rating Scales and Check Lists for the Evaluation of Psychopathology." In the area of psychological testing, a variety of paper-and-pencil tests have been devised for the purpose of measuring specific

Treating Adolescents with Substance Use Disorders: An Overview of Practice Issues and Treatment Outcome

Article

Dec 1999

Ken Winters

The knowledge base and research gaps of the adolescent drug abuse treatment field are discussed. In addition to summarizing several challenges faced by clinicians treating drug-abusing adolescents, traditional and emerging treatment strategies are described. The treatment outcome literature is seen as having several weaknesses, including that most studies are limited to descriptive designs. The author suggests that the most important research priority for the field is to address meaningfully the issue of which treatment approaches work best for which types of adolescent drug abusers.

Professional Manual of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory and NEO Five-Factor Inventory

Article

Nov 1991

Treating and preventing adolescent mental health disorders. What we know and what we don't know

Article

Jun 2006
ACTA PSYCHIAT SCAND

Judith B. Nissen

Cross-Validation Of Covariance Structures

Article

Apr 1983

This paper examines methods for comparing the suitability of alternative models for covariance matrices. A cross-validation procedure is suggested and its properties are examined. To motivate the discussion, a series of examples is presented using longitudinal data.

The Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire

Article

Jan 1987

Robert Cloninger

Relation between personality and drinking motives in young adults

Article

Sep 2000
PERS INDIV DIFFER

The purpose of the present study was to place drinking motives within the context of the Five-Factor Model of personality. Specifically, we sought to determine whether certain personality domains and facets of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) predict Enhancement, Coping, Social, and/or Conformity drinking motives from the Revised Drinking Motives Questionnaire (DMQ-R). A sample of 256 university student drinkers (M age =21.3 years) completed the NEO-PI-R and DMQ-R. In bivariate correlations, the two negative reinforcement motives (Coping and Conformity) were positively correlated with Neuroticism and negatively correlated with Extraversion. The two positive reinforcement motives (Enhancement and Social) were positively correlated with Extraversion and negatively correlated with Conscientiousness. Multiple regression analyses revealed that personality domain scores predicted two of the four drinking motives (i.e. the internal drinking motives of Coping and Enhancement), after controlling for the influences of alternative drinking motives. Enhancement Motives were predicted by high Extraversion and low Conscientiousness, and Coping Motives by high Neuroticism. Supplementary correlational analyses involving certain personality facet scores revealed that the depression and self-consciousness facets of the Neuroticism domain were positively correlated with residual Coping and Conformity Motives, respectively, and that the excitement-seeking and gregariousness facets of the Extraversion domain were positively correlated with residual Enhancement and Social Motives, respectively. These results provide further validation of Cox and Klinger’s 2×2 (valence [positive vs negative reinforcement]×source [internal vs external]) model of drinking motivations, and confirm previous speculations that drinking motives are distinguishable on the basis of personality domains and facets. Understanding the relations between personality and drinking motives may prove useful in identifying young drinkers whose drinking motivations may portend the development of heavy and/or problem drinking.

The Neuropsychology of Impulsive Antisocial Sensation Seeking Personality Traits: From Dopamine to Hippocampal Function?

Article

Nov 2004

Alan D Pickering

This chapter describes the first steps on the research work that aims at understanding the neuropsychological foundations of a specific cluster of personality traits that are referred to as impulsive antisocial sensation seeking (ImpASS). Schizotypal personality traits are tendencies to behave and think in ways that are qualitatively similar to features seen in schizophrenia. These traits are readily measured by self-report questionnaires and show considerable variation within samples of healthy individuals. This chapter also considers the ImpNon factor in relation to the definition of schizotypal personality. ImpNon does not qualify as a genuinely schizotypal factor. There are many different scales that measure elements of the ImpASS personality trait cluster. To investigate the research questions posed in this chapter, there are currently few clues to help determine which measures may provide the strongest correlations with the psychological and/or neural measures of interest.

Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y1 – Y2)

Book

Jan 1983

Behavioral Expression and Biosocial Bases of Sensation Seeking

Book

Jan 1994

Marvin Zuckerman

Interactions and reinforcement sensitivity theory: A theoretical analysis of Rusting and Larsen (1997)

Article

Feb 1999
PERS INDIV DIFFER

In a recent paper C. L. Rusting and R. J. Larsen (see record 1997-04006-002) studied the relationship between positive/negative mood induction and personality traits (extraversion, E; neuroticism, N). They showed that positive mood induction was positively correlated with E and negative mood induction was positively correlated with N and negatively correlated with E. In neither case did an N*E interaction term explain any variance in mood induction over and above that explained by the trait measures entered separately. They argued that the absence of this interaction term was critical evidence for the failure of Gray's theory of E and N and concluded that these data would fit better within Eysenck's original theoretical framework. This commentary argues that these conclusions are based on an incorrect account of Gray's theory. The correct interpretation is that individuals' susceptibilities to punishment and reward signals (e.g. mood induction cues) are predicted to be additive combinations of E and N, so that statistical interactions between E and N in explaining mood induction are not expected under this theory. The reasons why Rusting and Larsen may have mistakenly placed so much emphasis on N*E interactions are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Anxiety sensitivity in 1984 and panic attacks in 1987. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 6, 241-247

Article

Jan 1970
J ANXIETY DISORD

151 college students to whom the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) was administered in 1984 were retested in 1987 for anxiety sensitivity and tested for panic attacks, state-trait anxiety, and anxiety disorder history. ASI scores in 1984 predicted the frequency and intensity of panic attacks in 1987. Compared to Ss with low 1984 ASI scores, Ss with high 1984 ASI scores were 5 times more likely to have an anxiety disorder during the period 1984 to 1987. Test-retest reliability for the ASI across 3 yrs was .71. Data provide evidence for the stability of anxiety sensitivity over time and that the concept of anxiety sensitivity should be considered a personality variable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index

Article

Jun 1991
J Clin Child Psychol

Evaluated a scale for measuring anxiety sensitivity (i.e., the belief that anxiety symptoms have negative consequences), the Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI), in 76 7th–9th graders and 33 emotionally disturbed children (aged 8–15 yrs). The CASI had sound psychometric properties for both samples. The view that anxiety sensitivity is a separate concept from that of anxiety frequency and that it is a concept applicable with children was supported. The CASI correlated with measures of fear and anxiety and accounted for variance on the Fear Survey Schedule for Children—Revised and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (Trait form) that could not be explained by a measure of anxiety frequency. The possible role of anxiety sensitivity as a predisposing factor in the development of anxiety disorder in children is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS: Basic Concepts, Applications, and Programming (1st Ed.)

Book

Jan 2001

Barbara M. Byrne

Readers who want a less mathematical alternative to the EQS manual will find exactly what they're looking for in this practical text. Written specifically for those with little to no knowledge of structural equation modeling (SEM) or EQS, the author's goal is to provide a non-mathematical introduction to the basic concepts of SEM by applying these principles to EQS, Version 6.1. The book clearly demonstrates a wide variety of SEM/EQS applications that include confirmatory factor analytic and full latent variable models.

Reliability and Validity of A Brief Instrument for Assessing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Article

Oct 1993

This study examines the psychometric properties of two versions of the PTSD Sympton Scale (PSS). The scale contains 17 items that diagnose PTSD according to DSM-III-R criteria and assess the severity of PTSD symptoms. An interview and self-report version of the PSS were administered to a sample of 118 recent rape and non-sexual assault victims. The results indicate that both versions of the PSS have satisfactory internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and good concurrent validity. The interview version yielded high interrater agreement when administred separately by two interviewers and excellent convergent validity with the SCID. When used to diagnose PTSD, the self-report version of the PSS was somewhat more conservative than the interview version.

A panel model for political efficacy and responsiveness: An application of LISREL 7 with weighted least squares

Article

Jan 1990

Political efficacy is considered to be one of the most important attitudes in theories of political participation and democratic politics. It has been assumed that political efficacy is a stable, persistent orientation rather than a transient attitude. Several studies have examined the stability of political efficacy over time. In most of these studies, based on the analysis of the traditional SRC items, the stability assumption has been questioned. In this paper, we reconsider the stability issue but we adopt a different approach. We distinguish between two components of political efficacy: internal efficacy, a personal attribute and responsiveness, a system attribute, and we study their stability over time. To study the stability of political efficacy and responsiveness over time, we analyse the data with PRELIS and we develop a panel model using LISREL 7. As the observed variables are only ordinal, the estimation of the parameters of the model is based on polychoric correlations and on the weighted least squares method. Our analysis makes use of the Political Action Survey panel data for the USA. This data contains the six SRC efficacy items measured at two occasions. We find that the stability coefficients are higher than those reported in previous research. The difference in the values of the stability coefficients for each component seems to indicate that the personal component is more stable than the system component.

Gray’s impulsivity dimension: A distinction between Reward Sensitivity versus Rash Impulsiveness

Article

May 2006
PERS INDIV DIFFER

According to Gray’s reinforcement sensitivity theory of personality there are individual variations in the sensitivity of basic brain and behavioral systems that respond to punishing and reinforcing stimuli. Originally, Gray employed the term “impulsivity” for the personality trait that reflects the Sensitivity to Reward. However, there is growing doubt whether sensitivity for reward and impulsivity refer to one and the same trait. The present study addresses the hypothesis that Sensitivity to Punishment constitutes one personality dimension, whereas measures of Sensitivity to Reward actually are tapping two separate dimensions, one actually referring to Reward Sensitivity and another that pertains to Rash Impulsiveness. For this purpose, a second-order principal component analysis on the subscales of questionnaires that intend to measure aspects of these personality traits was carried out. Results provide further evidence for the notion that sensitivity to reward indeed consists of the two hypothesized factors: Reward Sensitivity and Rash Impulsiveness. Specific links between Reward Sensitivity and Rash Impulsiveness with other constructs such as Eysenck’s personality factors, Negative and Positive affect, and Anhedonia, further demonstrate the distinctiveness of both dimensions.

'Chasing' in gambling behavior: Personality and cognitive determinants

Article

Dec 1999
PERS INDIV DIFFER

The phenomenon of `chasing' has been identified as one of the central characteristics of the behavior of pathological gamblers [American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., DSM IV). Washington, DC: APA]. It consists of more frequent involvement, increased persistence and elevated monetary risk in an effort to recoup money that has been lost. The present research makes a distinction between within- and between-session chasing, and attempts to examine the determinants of within-session chasing in a reasonably valid laboratory analogue. Male college students who gambled (N=248) were given US

10 and an opportunity to gamble. They could: (1) decline to gamble and keep their US

10 (nonplayers); (2) gamble and win even more money by quitting at a more optimal time (nonchasers); or (3) gamble longer than they should, resulting in the loss of all available money (chasers). Zuckerman's impulsivity factor (from the ZKPQ) discriminated chasers from nonchasers. Breen and Zuckerman's Gambling Beliefs and Attitudes Survey (GABS) discriminated players from nonplayers. A sensation-seeking explanation of within-session chasing was not supported. The results are discussed in terms of the impact of impulsivity on within-session chasing. It is suggested that the GABS may serve as a general measure of `affinity' to gambling, and could be useful in examining the process of between-session chasing, that is, returning on another day to `get even'.

Internal drinking motives mediate personality domain-drinking relations in young adults

Article

Jan 2001
PERS INDIV DIFFER

The present study was conducted in an attempt to replicate previous findings regarding relations between personality domains in the five-factor model of personality and drinking motives, and to examine the potential mediating role of the internal drinking motives in explaining hypothesized relations between personality variables and drinking quantity/drinking problems. A sample of 154 university student drinkers completed the NEO five factor inventory, the revised drinking motives questionnaire, and measures of drinking quantity and alcohol-related problems. Multiple regressions indicated that the two internal drinking motives (coping and enhancement) were predicted by personality domains information, whereas the two external drinking motives (conformity and social) were not. Coping motives were significantly predicted by high neuroticism, whereas enhancement motives were significantly predicted by a combination of low conscientiousness and low neuroticism. Mediator regression analyses demonstrated that coping motives partially mediated the relation between high neuroticism and increased drinking problems, whereas enhancement motives mediated the relation between low conscientiousness and increased drinking quantity. Implications of the findings for prevention of heavy drinking and drinking problems in young adults are discussed.

A test of the four-factor model of impulsivity-related traits

Article

Jun 2003
PERS INDIV DIFFER

In a recent article, Whiteside and Lynam [Person. Indiv. Diff. 30 (2001) 669] proposed a new model for understanding personality pathways to impulsive behavior. Their UPPS model maintains that there are four personality dimensions that are related differentially to impulsive behaviors: urgency, sensation seeking, (lack of) premeditation, and (lack of) perseverance. The purpose of the current study was to provide validation for this model and to test some of the specific hypotheses offered by Whiteside and Lynam. The sample used in this study consisted of 481 individuals who completed mailed surveys at age 20 and an in-depth laboratory protocol at age 21. Zero-order correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relations between the four personality traits and various forms of externalizing behaviors, several types of internalizing psychopathology, and intelligence. Results revealed that the four traits were differentially related to various behaviors and forms of psychopathology consistent with many of Whiteside and Lynam's predictions. Therefore, the UPPS model does appear to offer a novel and useful way of understanding behaviors and forms of psychopathology considered to be characterized by some form of impulsivity.

Sensation seeking in the community: Sex, age and sociodemographic comparisons on a representative German population sample

Article

Nov 2005
PERS INDIV DIFFER

Our current knowledge regarding age and sex differences in sensation seeking is based on studies, which all use the SSS-V. The aim of the present study therefore was to validate the results reported by Zuckerman, Eysenck, and Eysenck (1978) while applying an alternative instrument. We also examined the relevance of sociodemographic factors in sensation seeking. German data were collected from 1949 subjects (47% female; aged 16–79 years) constituting a representative population sample of Germany. Sensation Seeking was measured using the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS), which consists of two subscales: Novelty and Intensity constituting a Total Score. The results clearly confirm the postulated age and sex differences. Significant age declines occurred on all three scales for both sexes. Males generally scored higher than females in all age groups. The age and sex differences are independent of sociodemographic factors. On the whole, sociodemographic factors explain only a small part of the variance in sensation seeking.

Anxiety sensitivity and self-reported alcohol consumption rates in university women

Article

Dec 1995
J ANXIETY DISORD

A growing literature suggests a significant relationship between “anxiety sensitivity” (AS; fear of anxiety symptoms) and alcohol use/abuse. The present study examined the relationship between levels of AS and self-reported rates of weekly alcohol consumption and frequency of “excessive drinking” (i.e., number of times legally intoxicated per year). Subjects were 30 nonalcoholic university women, divided into three AS groups (high, moderate, and low) based upon scores on the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI). High AS women reported consuming significantly more alcoholic beverages on a weekly basis and drinking to excess more times per year than low AS controls. ASI scores were found to be significantly positively correlated with both measures of self-reported alcohol consumption. The results support the hypothesis of a positive relationship between AS levels in young adult women and extent of excessive alcohol use.

Gender differences in dimensions of anxiety sensitivity

Article

Mar 1997
J ANXIETY DISORD

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of anxiety-related sensations arising from beliefs that these sensations have harmful physical, psychological, or social consequences. AS is measured using the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), a 16-item self-report questionnaire. Little is known about the origins of AS, although social learning experiences (including sex-role socialization experiences) may be important. The present study examined whether there were gender differences in: (a) the lower- or higher-order factor structure of the ASI; and/or (b) pattern of ASI factor scores. The ASI was completed by 818 university students (290 males; 528 females). Separate principal components analyses on the ASI items of the total sample, males, and females revealed nearly identical lower-order three-factor structures for all groups, with factors pertaining to fears about the anticipated (a) physical, (b) psychological, and (c) social consequences of anxiety. Separate principal components analyses on the lower-order factor scores of the three samples revealed similar unidimensional higher-order solutions for all groups. Gender × AS dimension analyses on ASI lower-order factor scores showed that: females scored higher than males only on the physical concerns factor; females scored higher on the physical concerns factor relative to their scores on the social and psychological concerns factors; and males scored higher on the social and psychological concerns factors relative to their scores on the physical concerns factor. Finally, females scored higher than males on the higher-order factor representing the global AS construct. The present study provides further support for the empirical distinction of the three lower-order dimensions of AS, and additional evidence for the theoretical hierarchical structure of the ASI. Results also suggest that males and females differ on these various AS dimensions in ways consistent with sex role socialization practices.

Psychological vulnerabilities in patients with major depression vs panic disorder

Article

May 2001
BEHAV RES THER

The tripartite model (Clark & Watson, 1991: Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (1991). Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: Psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 316–336) posits that anxiety and depression share nonspecific features of neuroticism but that somatic arousal appears unique to anxiety, and low positive affect appears unique to depression. The present study controlled for these higher-order effects and evaluated the relative contributions of four, specific lower-order vulnerabilities (anxiety sensitivity, rumination, self-criticism, self-oriented perfectionism). Participants were 38 depressed patients and 38 patients with panic disorder matched as closely as possible for age and gender, and all were diagnosed using the same structured interview by an experienced clinician. Results from hierarchical logistic regression analysis were consistent with predictions from the tripartite model in that only the unique features of arousal and positive affectivity differentiated the two diagnostic groups. At a lower-order level, only anxiety sensitivity (and its facet of fear of physical symptoms) and a ruminative response style demonstrated incremental predictive ability. The discussion focuses on the relationships among these higher-order and lower-order variables, and their potential importance for understanding specific manifestations of psychopathology.

The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale: a scale measuring traits linked to reinforcement-specific substance use profiles

Abstract

No full-text available

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