Postconcussion syndrome occurs in children.

The consensus of evidence published since 1924 suggests that parents report attention deficits, hyperactivity, or conduct disorder after pediatric head injury rather than postconcussion syndrome. In this study, the symptoms reported by children after mild (n?=?38) and moderate-severe (n?=?27) head trauma were compared to those reported after orthopedic injury (n?=?47) and to adults matched for injury severity and chronicity by using a structured interview based on diagnostic criteria for postconcussion syndrome. Pediatric head trauma caused significantly more subjective symptoms after 6 weeks than orthopedic injury. These symptoms were related to head injury severity and the child's anxiety level. When assessed in a similar manner, children report postconcussion syndrome similar to that seen in adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latent structure of anxiety: Taxometric exploration.

Taxometrics is a statistical tool that can be used to discern categories from continua. Taxometric analyses (MAXCOV and MAXEIG) were conducted in a large nonclinical sample (N=1,215) to determine whether extreme anxiety forms a distinct psychopathological category, an anxiety taxon. Anxiety was operationalized with self-report measures of subjective anxiety, anxious cognitive style, physiological arousal, and anxiety-related impairment. Procedures consistently identified a taxon with a prevalence of approximately 11%. Examination of the taxon's convergent and discriminant validity revealed that it reflects general distress rather than physiological arousal. Taxon membership showed some evidence of incremental validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latent structure of the alexithymia construct: A taxometric investigation.

Despite a wealth of research on the validity of alexithymia and its association with a number of common medical and psychiatric disorders, the fundamental question of whether alexithymia is best conceptualized as a dimensional or categorical construct remains unresolved. In the current investigation, taxometric analysis is used to examine the nature of the latent structure of alexithymia. Several nonredundant taxometric procedures were performed with item sets from the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (R. M. Bagby, J. D. A. Parker, & G. J. Taylor, 1994) as indicators. These procedures were applied separately in large community (n = 1,933) and undergraduate (n = 1,948) samples and in a smaller sample of psychiatric outpatients (n = 302). The results across various taxometric procedures and the different samples provide strong support that alexithymia is a dimensional construct. Some theoretical implications of these findings for research on the alexithymia construct are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire.

Separate factor analyses of the items of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire for 419 undergraduate and graduate students yielded 4 factors for each instrument. The BSRI is seen as potentially more promising of independent measurement of constructs related to masculine–feminine identity but as still lacking in purity. The low scorer on BSRI Masculinity is seen as penalized, in that this scale contains several items interpreted as related to maturity or self-confidence. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latent structure of strategies used to cope with nociceptive stimulation.

Investigated the latent cognitive structure of 32 undergraduates' perceptions of coping strategies used by 50 college students exposed to a cold pressor test or a muscle ischemia task, using multidimensional scaling (MDS). The resulting strategy clusters (e.g., behavioral activity, pleasant imaginings) were grouped into sensation acknowledging, coping relevance, and cognitive/behavioral dimensions. Using different methodology and MDS analysis, 22 undergraduates' perceptions of the 3 coping strategies were examined. There was close correspondence between the resulting dimensions and those of the 1st sample. Results show that Ss preferred strategies that ignored pain sensations and suggest a method for assessing relative efficiency of coping strategies for pain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Postconcussion syndrome following sports-related head injury: Expectation as etiology.

Mild head trauma is often complicated by a persistent set of symptoms known as postconcussion syndrome (PCS). Past research has suggested that an expectancy-guided, retrospective-recall bias may account for much of the variance in PCS symptom reporting. The present study examined the influence of symptom expectations on mild head trauma symptom reports among participants in contact sports. Head-injured athletes reported symptom rates that did not differ from those of uninjured athletes but consistently underestimated the preinjury incidence of symptoms. Athletes with no head trauma history overestimated the expected degree of pre- to postinjury change in symptom status. Results suggest that individuals with mild head injury tend to overestimate postconcussion symptom change in a manner consistent with their symptom expectations. A cognitive-behavioral model that explains the persistence of PCS is proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure and convergent validity of the Aggression Questionnaire in an offender population.

The study examined whether the 4-factor structure of the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ; A. H. Buss and M. Perry, see record 1993-00039-001), consisting of Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Hostility, and Anger, would replicate in an offender population. The AQ and Novaco's Anger Scale (NAS; R. Novaco, 1994) were administered to 200 adult offenders. The results of a confirmatory analysis suggested that the 4-factor model is a poor fit in an offender population. A 2-factor model was suggested: 1 factor combines Physical Aggression and Anger; the other combines Verbal Aggression and Hostility. Evidence of convergent validity of the 2-factor model was provided by high correlations between the AQ and the NAS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latent inhibition.

Reviews the latent inhibition literature concerning the decremental effects of nonreinforced preexposure to the to-be-conditional stimulus on subsequent learning. Latent inhibition is found to be a broadly based phenomenon appearing across a variety of species (goldfish, goat, sheep, rat, rabbit, dog, human child, and, under special conditions, the human adult) and across a variety of tasks (classical conditioning, avoidance conditioning, Ivanov-Smolensky conditioning, conditioned emotional response, go/no-go discrimination, reaction time, and conditioned taste aversion paradigms). The stability of latent inhibition as well as its stimulus specificity and the effects of number of nonreinforced preexposures are examined. Current explanations of latent inhibition which include the habituation of the orienting response, selective filtering, specific antagonistic and complementary responses, and conditioned inhibition are discussed. The need for a combined learning and attention theory is suggested. (64 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hypothesized simple factor structure for the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire: Confirmatory factor analysis.

This study proposed and tested a theoretical factor structure for the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ; S. A. Brown, M. S. Goldman, A. Inn, & L. R. Anderson [see record 1981-01217-001]). Factors were hypothesized to (a) reflect either positive or negative reinforcement, and (b) target either personal feelings or social contexts, resulting in 4 hypothesized factors (Social Enhancement, Social Coping, Personal Enhancement, Personal Coping). Participants were 180 male and 226 female undergraduates who completed the AEQ and additional self-report measures. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the hypothesized model fit the data. Post hoc adjustments further improved the model. Finally, a higher order factor model fit the data best. Factors correlated in hypothesized ways with other measures: (a) Only Personal Coping expectancies correlated with negative affect; (b) self-efficacy to resist drinking for emotional relief correlated highest with Personal Coping; and (c) self-efficacy to resist social pressure to drink correlated highest with Social Enhancement. Correlations with B. C. Leigh and A. W. Stacy's (see record 1993-35856-001) Drinking Expectancy Questionnaire indicated congruent and divergent validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure integrity of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire: An English–French comparison.

The Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) is one of the pre-eminent measures of gender-specific personality characteristics. To evaluate the PAQ'S viability 20 yrs after its creation, the authors assessed the dimensionality and psychometric properties of the original PAQ and a French version using samples of 637 English-speaking and French-speaking university administrators. The structure of the English form of the PAQ was supported for both women and men when the data were submitted to confirmatory analyses. Support was not as convincing for the dimensionality of the French form of the PAQ, however. Some evidence for expected differences in mean Instrumentality and Expressivity scores was found between women and men. Findings support the continued use of the English PAQ as a measure of Instrumental and Expressive personality traits. Further study of the French PAQ is recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using Taxometric Analysis to Distinguish a Small Latent Taxon From a Latent Dimension With Positively Skewed Indicators: The Case of Involuntary Defeat Syndrome.

Joining the debate on the structure of depression, S. R. H. Bearh and N. Amir (2003) analyzed college students' responses to 6 Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) items with predominantly somatic content and concluded that they identified a small latent taxon corresponding to involuntary defeat syndrome. An exact replication of these analyses yielded virtually identical taxometric results, but parallel analyses of simulated taxonic and dimensional comparison data matching the intercorrelations and skewed distributions of the BDI items showed the results to be more consistent with dimensional than with taxonic latent structure. Analyses in a clinical sample with nonskewed indicators further supported a dimensional interpretation. The authors discuss methodological strategies for conducting and interpreting taxometric analyses under the adverse conditions commonly encountered in psychopathology research, including skewed indicators and small putative taxa. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latent structure analysis of DSM-IV borderline personality disorder criteria

The aim of this study was to evaluate the structure of DSM-IV borderline personality disorder (BPD) criteria. The study group consisted of 564 consecutively admitted inpatients and outpatients. BPD criteria discriminatory power was tested by using corrected item-to-total and item-to-diagnosis correlations. Weighted least-squares (WLS) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the fit of DSM-IV BPD unidimensional model. The categorical model of BPD was tested by exploratory latent class analysis (LCA). Item analysis suggested a hierarchy in BPD criteria discriminatory power, even if with different rank order with respect to the DSM-IV model. CFA showed a unifactorial structure with congeneric items as the best fitting model for DSM-IV BPD criteria (chi2 = 18.89, df= 27, P > .87). LCA showed evidence for three latent classes; heterogeneity was observed only among subjects falling below DSM-IV diagnostic threshold for BPD. These results support the categorical model of BPD, even if with several differences with respect to DSM-IV.     

Joint factor structure of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire and the MMPI in a psychiatric and high-risk sample.

Assessed aspects of the construct validity of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), a measure of normal personality characteristics, in a clinically relevant sample through joint factor analyses of primary and second-order scales of the MPQ and the MMPI. A subsample from the Washington University Twin Study of Psychopathology was analyzed. The MPQ's primary scales and higher order factors were found to have meaningful associations with MMPI scales that served as construct markers. The MPQ taps constructs related to, although not redundant with, those measured by the MMPI. Additionally, the MPQ provides a Constraint measure that is relevant to the study of psychopathy and not represented among the MMPI clinical scales. The potential utility of the MPQ in clinical settings as an adjunct to traditional assessment instruments such as the MMPI is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latent structure and factorial invariance of a neuropsychological test battery for the study of preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: To examine the latent structure of a test battery currently being used in a longitudinal study of asymptomatic middle-aged adults with a parental history of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and test the invariance of the factor solution across subgroups defined by selected demographic variables and known genetic risk factors for AD. Method: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a sequence of confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted on 24 neuropsychological measures selected to provide a comprehensive estimate of cognitive abilities most likely to be affected in preclinical AD. Once the underlying latent model was defined and the structural validity established through model comparisons, a multigroup confirmatory factor analysis model was used to test for factorial invariance across groups. Results: The EFA solution revealed a factor structure consisting of five constructs: verbal ability, visuospatial ability, speed & executive function, working memory, and verbal learning & memory. The CFA models provided support for the hypothesized 5-factor structure. Results indicated factorial invariance of the model across all groups examined. Conclusions: Collectively, the results suggested a relatively strong psychometric basis for using the factor structure in clinical samples that match the characteristics of this cohort. This confirmed an invariant factor structure should prove useful in research aimed to detect the earliest cognitive signature of preclinical AD in similar middle aged cohorts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latent variable structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory in a sample of persons with spinal cord injuries.

Investigated the presence of underlying factors which may be helpful in understanding Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) item responses with 215 inpatientsresponse with spinal cord injuries. BSI scores were analyzed with principal components and maximum-likelihood factor estimation, and 6 factors were retained: anxiety, depression, mental blocks, interpersonal sensitivity, spinal cord injury, and hostile suspiciousness. Examination of factor content indicated their relevance to aspects of the rehabilitation process. Evidence for construct validity was examined by comparing the factor scores of persons who were rehospitalized versus persons who were not rehospitalized in the first year following initial rehabilitation. The rehospitalized group had higher BSI depression, mental blocks, and spinal cord injury factor scores prior to discharge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An Orientation Questionnaire.

We describe the development of an Orientation Questionnaire (OQ), a standardized measure of the impairment of an older person's ability to communicate orientation information. Starting with a pool of selected items, we made a series of revisions that resulted in a 17-item questionnaire with a score range from 0 through 40 points. In additional studies we determined that OQ scores evidence adequate reliability (test–retest r?=?.969) and adequate validity (r with nurse ratings?=?.798 and .793; r with behavioral assessment?=?.807). The OQ scores discriminated groups on the basis of environmental structure (community vs. nursing home vs. neuropsychiatric hospital) and psychiatric diagnosis (organic vs. schizophrenic vs. no diagnosis). Tentative classification data are presented, and uses of the OQ are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Aggression Questionnaire.

A new questionnaire on aggression was constructed. Replicated factor analyses yielded 4 scales: Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Anger, and Hostility. Correlational analysis revealed that anger is the bridge between both physical and verbal aggression and hostility. The scales showed internal consistency and stability over time. Men scored slightly higher on Verbal Aggression and Hostility and much higher on Physical Aggression. There was no sex difference for Anger. The various scales correlated differently with various personality traits. Scale scores correlated with peer nominations of the various kinds of aggression. These findings suggest the need to assess not only overall aggression but also its individual components. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using confirmatory factor analysis to understand executive control in preschool children: I. Latent structure.

Although many tasks have been developed recently to study executive control in the preschool years, the constructs that underlie performance on these tasks are poorly understood. In particular, it is unclear whether executive control is composed of multiple, separable cognitive abilities (e.g., inhibition and working memory) or whether it is unitary in nature. A sample of 243 normally developing children between 2.3 and 6 years of age completed a battery of age-appropriate executive control tasks. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to compare multiple models of executive control empirically. A single-factor, general model was sufficient to account for the data. Furthermore, the fit of the unitary model was invariant across subgroups of children divided by socioeconomic status or sex. Girls displayed a higher level of latent executive control than boys, and children of higher and lower socioeconomic status did not differ in level. In typically developing preschool children, tasks conceptualized as indexes of working memory and inhibitory control in fact measured a single cognitive ability, despite surface differences between task characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The validity of the Communication Patterns Questionnaire.

The Communication Patterns Questionnaire (A. Christensen, 1988) explores the use of various interaction patterns by 96 married couples during conflict. This study demonstrates the discriminant validity of this instrument in that most items discriminated clearly between spouses high, moderate, and low in marital adjustment. A factor analysis involving all of the items of the questionnaire indicated 4 factors, labeled Coercion, Mutuality, Post-Conflict Distress, and Destructive Process. Couples high in marital adjustment reported higher levels of Mutuality, and couples low in adjustment reported higher levels of Destructive Process, Coercion, and Post-Conflict Distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)