Substance abuse prevention: Implications for reducing risk of HIV infection.

Formulates an AIDS risk-reduction strategy for use with adolescents. This strategy is based on the state of the art in substance abuse prevention and adolescent pregnancy prevention. The etiology of risk behaviors is discussed, and the history and success of substance abuse prevention and adolescent pregnancy prevention are reviewed. A promising approach is the competence enhancement approach, which appears to be generalizable to a variety of problem behaviors. A potential model for AIDS risk reduction is described, which may also prove to be effective in preventing AIDS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in the Bergen Child Study: A conceptually and methodically motivated structural analysis.

Objective: To test Goodman’s theoretical 5-factor model of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in an analysis of the Norwegian parent (P) and teacher (T) versions of the questionnaire. Method: The T-SDQ was analyzed for 8,999 (95.4% of all) children in primary school grades 2–4 in Bergen, Norway, whereas the P-SDQ was examined for 6,430 children (68.2%). Main analyses were exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Results: The analyses supported a modestly modified version of Goodman’s 5-factor model for both the P-SDQ and the T-SDQ. The correlations between latent factors were high, particularly when the conduct problem factor was involved, reflecting a high level of overlap between the problem areas. Cross-informant correlation between parents and teachers was moderate to high for the problem subscales and considerably higher than the corresponding correlation between subscales that has been found in earlier studies. Conclusions: None of the alternative models derived from the exploratory factor analysis fitted the data better than a slightly modified version of Goodman’s 5-factor model, which showed acceptable goodness of fit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quality of mother–toddler interactions, maternal depressive symptoms, and behavior problems in preschoolers of adolescent mothers.

Longitudinal data for 63 inner-city African American and Puerto Rican adolescent mothers and their firstborn children were used to examine the relations among (a) level of maternal depressive symptoms reported in the first year postpartum and at 28 to 36 months postpartum, (b) mother-toddler conflict and contingent (reciprocal) responses observed in play interactions at 20 months, and (c) maternal reports of child problem behaviors at 28 to 36 months. The model that best predicted child problem behaviors was an additive one, reflecting the independent contributions of maternal depressive symptoms and maternal-child conflict. A lack of contingent responses occurred more frequently in the interactions of more symptomatic mothers with their toddlers. Although this was not associated with subsequent levels of child problem behaviors, the implications of this passive response strategy for the perpetuation of depression in families are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Symptom substitution, generalization, and response covariation: Implications for psychotherapy outcome.

Symptom substitution has served as a focal point for debates about alternative treatments and their conceptual underpinnings. The notion has also directed attention to the multiplicity of changes that may follow treatment. Recently, research has demonstrated that for a given individual several behaviors tend to be correlated to form clusters of responses. Therapeutic changes in one response in a particular cluster are likely to affect other, related responses. The concomitant changes associated with treatment of a particular problem may be both positive and negative, depending on the behaviors that ordinarily covary with the target problem. Response covariation, as an empirical alternative to symptom substitution, has important implications for therapy outcome research and clinical treatment. The present article reviews evidence for response covariation in the context of treatment. An interactional model of personality is outlined to examine the possible bases for the development of response covariation and to provide an assessment strategy for systematically evaluating the organization of behavior. Implications of response covariation and an interactional assessment approach for evaluating treatment are discussed. (87 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Patient Reactions Assessment: A brief measure of the quality of the patient-provider medical relationship.

Reports 3 studies in the development of the Patient Reactions Assessment (PRA). The PRA is composed of 3 5-item scales designed to measure the perceived quality of the informative (Patient Information Index) and affective (Patient Affective Index) behaviors of the provider and the patient's perceived ability to initiate communication (Patient Communication Index) about the illness. The PRA was constructed according to factor-analytic procedures using cancer patients as Ss. The PRA and its subscales demonstrated high internal consistency. Concurrent validity for the PRA was shown by its ability to differentiate known groups of providers with respect to quality of patient relationships. As predicted, replicated confirmatory factor analyses supported the conceptual model on which the scale was constructed and indicated that the subscales represented related but separate relationship factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the dimensionality of the California Psychological Inventory Socialization scale.

The California Psychological Inventory Socialization (So) scale is assumed to measure a dimension of socialized behaviors based on role-taking ability. Some studies have reported that the internal structure of the So scale may be complex. The present study tested its dimensionality on 3 groups: (a) 154 female undergraduates, (b) 38 delinquent and 146 nondelinquent 18–31 yr old males, and (c) 64 18–49 yr old males who were undergoing court-ordered psychiatric examination prior to sentencing. All So items except one were used, and these items were divided into 6 subscales. The number of factors producing the correlations of subscales was tested in maximum likelihood factor analyses made separately for the groups. The results made a single factor seem reasonable. The variance–covariance matrices differed significantly for the groups. The fit of a 1-factor model for 3 groups was therefore tested in a simultaneous factor analysis for several populations, and good fit was obtained. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Drinking behaviors in social situations account for alcohol-related problems among socially anxious individuals.

Individuals with elevated social anxiety appear particularly vulnerable to experiencing alcohol-related problems. However, research has thus far failed to identify factors that seem to account for this relationship. The present study utilized a measure designed to assess alcohol-related behaviors related to social situations previously identified as anxiety-provoking among those with elevated social anxiety. The Drinking to Cope with Social Anxiety Scale (DCSAS) assessed alcohol-related behaviors in 24 social situations and was comprised of two subscales: Drinking to Cope in Social Situations and Avoidance of Social Situations if Alcohol was Unavailable. Both DCSAS scales demonstrated adequate internal consistency and were significantly, positively related to number of alcohol-related problems. Individuals with clinically meaningful social anxiety (n = 60) achieved higher scores on both DCSAS subscales compared to those with lower social anxiety (n = 60). Importantly, the DCSAS scales mediated the relationship between social anxiety group classification and alcohol-related problems. Results highlight the importance of contextual factors in assessing alcohol-related behaviors among high-risk populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methods for the analysis of parallel streams of continuously recorded social behaviors.

Presents a strategy for analyzing social interactive behaviors occurring simultaneously in parallel streams. The standard strategy for representing such data has been interval coding. Interval coding converts the behavioral stream into a sequence of codes representing the behaviors observed in equal length intervals. This strategy is problematic because statistics calculated from interval coded data depend on the arbitrary choice of interval length. An alternative strategy is to represent the behavioral stream in a continuous-time format, using both the sequence of behaviors and their durations. A continuous-time model for social interactive data was applied to observations of mutual gaze between a husband and wife. The analysis uncovered different distributions of event durations in the two partners: The wife looked primarily at the husband and responded sensitively to his gaze behavior, whereas the husband looked primarily away, unresponsive to the wife. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of student ethnicity on judgments of ADHD symptoms among Hispanic and White teachers.

The present study examined whether teacher ratings of student disruptive, impulsive, and inattentive behaviors vary according to teacher-student ethnic differences. A total of 129 Hispanic and 89 White teachers observed standardized videotapes of a Hispanic and a White child and assessed each child for hyperactive-inattentive behaviors, using a rating scale. Based on analyses of subscales, this study revealed significant differences in ratings of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behaviors among Hispanic and White teachers with Hispanic teachers reporting higher mean scores on the Hyperactivity-Impulsivity Scale. This was true on the ratings of the Hispanic student but not on the White student. Further analyses suggested that when acculturation was covaried, no significant group differences remained, suggesting that teacher perception of deviance may be partially mediated by cultural values more than ethnicity. The need to consider the rater's ethnicity and ethno-cultural variables is discussed, and findings are explained in terms of the adult distress threshold model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The contribution of personality characteristics to the relationship between social support and perceived physical health.

Employed structural equation modeling to derive and test a model of the relationships between personality characteristics, social network size, the perceived availability of support, socially supportive behaviors, and perceived physical health with 182 adults (aged 30–90 yrs). Ss completed a telephone interview and a questionnaire that included a version of the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire and 3 subscales from the Personality Research Form. Significant paths indicated that Ss who perceived themselves as affiliative and as help seekers and help givers reported larger social networks, received more socially supportive behaviors, and perceived more available support. Also, the more support Ss perceived to be available to them, the more positively they rated their perceived physical health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Where Is the Syndrome? Examining Co-Occurrence Among Multiple Problem Behaviors in Adolescence.

The authors examined co-occurrence among a wide range of adolescent problem behaviors: alcohol, smoking, marijuana, hard drugs, sexual activity, major and minor delinquency, direct and indirect aggression, and gambling. Using a large self-report survey of high school students, confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the problem syndrome model proposed by problem behavior theory. A 3-factor model provided better overall fit than did a single problem syndrome factor model. Contingency table analyses were used to examine the co-occurrence of problem behaviors at different levels of involvement within individuals, as well as relative risk ratios. Analyses offered modest support for a limited problem syndrome encompassing the report of high-risk involvement with alcohol, minor delinquency, direct aggression, and, to a lesser extent, marijuana. For each problem behavior, the majority of adolescents did not report high-risk involvement, and only a minority reported any involvement with multiple behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement of antecedents to drug and alcohol use: psychometric properties of the Inventory of Drug-Taking Situations (IDTS)

The development, factor structure, and validity of the Inventory of Drug-Taking Situations (IDTS) is described. This 50-item self-report questionnaire, which is an extension of the Inventory of Drinking Situations (Annis, 1982. Inventory of drinking situations; Annis, Graham & Davis, 1987, Inventory of drinking situations (IDS): User's guide), is designed to assess the situational antecedents to use of a wide range of drugs of abuse. The IDTS consists of 8 subscales that measure a client's substance use in the 8 situations identified in the work of Marlatt (1978, Alcoholism: New directions in behavioral research and treatment): Unpleasant Emotions, Physical Discomfort, Pleasant Emotions, Testing Personal Control, Urges and Temptations to Use, Conflict with Others, Social Pressure to Use, and Pleasant Times with Others. Reliability, factor structure and validity of the IDTS were assessed on 699 clients admitted to the Addiction Research Foundation's treatment facility in Toronto. The IDTS was shown to have reliable subscales. The IDTS total score correlated with self-ratings of the severity of the clients' substance use problem, and with retrospective reports of frequency of use (drugs) and quantity of use (alcohol), years of usage, and severity of dependence. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the fit of the data to Marlatt's model of substance use situations, as well as to several alternative models. The goodness-of-fit indicators suggested that the best fit for the data was an 8-factor model corresponding to the 8 subscales based on the Marlatt categories. Evidence was presented that the 8 subscales can be further grouped into 3 second-order factors: (1) negative situations, (2) positive situations, and (3) temptation situations. The negative situation subscales of Unpleasant Emotions, Conflict with Others and Physical Discomfort were found to be correlated with the SCL-90R Depression scale. Interpersonal Sensitivity scale and Somatization scale respectively. The positive social situation subscales of Pleasant Times with Others and Social Pressure to Use were found to be negatively correlated with percentage of time using alone, and positively correlated with pressure from friends and family to use. On the States of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scales (SOCRATES), clients at the precontemplation stage of change had relatively flat, undifferentiated IDTS profiles (i.e. little scatter of subscale scores), whereas clients in the determination stage had the most differentiation in their IDTS subscale scores. Excellent comparability was found for alcohol clients between the IDS and the IDTS. Evidence was also presented for adequate comparability between the computer and paper and pencil administrative formats of the IDTS.     

The validity and reliability of the Dutch Effort–Reward Imbalance Questionnaire.

The reliability and validity of the Effort–Reward Imbalance Questionnaire were tested in 775 blue- and white-collar workers in the Netherlands. Cronbach's alpha revealed sufficient internal consistency of all subscales except Need for Control. With exploratory probabilistic scaling (Mokken) analysis, the psychometric qualities of the Need for Control scale were improved. With confirmatory factor analysis, the factorial validity of the Extrinsic Effort and Reward subscales was confirmed. A model with 3 separate dimensions for reward (status control, esteem reward, and monetary gratification) proved adequate, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing subscales. The congruent validity of the subscales and a hypothesized relationship with an external construct, health functioning, were confirmed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Victims into perpetrators.

Many psychotherapy clients hold "victim formulations" of their problems. They conceive their problems in such a way that their source, and thus their resolution, lies outside the clients' personal control. This article details a therapeutic strategy for aiding clients with such problem formulations. This strategy includes (1) reformulating these problems into "perpetrator formulations" (i.e., reconstructions wherein the problem is portrayed as being created by actions that clients are actively perpetrating) and thus are in good positions to alter; (2) getting these reformulations accepted by clients; and (3) encouraging clients to continue to enact their problem behaviors in certain carefully prescribed ways, and thereby to gain control over them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comprehension of arithmetic word problems: A comparison of successful and unsuccessful problem solvers.

It is proposed that when solving an arithmetic word problem, unsuccessful problem solvers base their solution plan on numbers and keywords that they select from the problem (the direct translation strategy), whereas successful problem solvers construct a model of the situation described in the problem and base their solution plan on this model (the problem-model strategy). Evidence for this hypothesis was obtained in 2 experiments. In Experiment 1, the eye fixations of successful and unsuccessful problem solvers on words and numbers in the problem statement were compared. In Experiment 2, the degree to which successful and unsuccessful problem solvers remember the meaning and exact wording of word problems was examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric evaluation of the Reasons for Living Inventory.

Examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL; M. M. Linehan et al; see record 1983-20123-001) in a sample of college students with a range of suicidal ideation and behaviors. An exploratory factor analysis of the 48-item RFL extracted 6 factors, similar to those described by Linehan et al. All coefficients alpha and item–subscale correlations were adequate. Additional nonclinical normative data are presented. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) identified 3 significant discriminant functions for group separation. Correlational analyses provided information about the relationships between the RFL and other self-report measures of suicide risk and general psychopathology. Three RFL subscales were useful in predicting suicide risk and general psychopathology. Limitations and future research issues are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation of the biosocial model of personality: Confirmatory factor analysis of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire.

The theoretical parameters of the biosocial model of personality that underlie the item domain of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (C. R. Cloninger; see records 75:1507 and 17186) were assessed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Using a large sample of community-based adults (n?=?360) and undergraduate students(n?=?233), CFA was used to examine the relationship between the items and their correspondent subscales, as well as the relationship between the subscales and their correspondent personality domain. Results indicated that the items composing the 4 subscales for each of the 3 personality domains matched the underlying theoretical model and that the 12 subscales that comprise the 3 personality domains decomposed into 3 dimensions theoretically consistent with the biosocial model of personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale (REMS): Construction, reliability, and validity.

Racial microaggressions are subtle statements and behaviors that unconsciously communicate denigrating messages to people of color. In recent years, a theoretical taxonomy and subsequent qualitative studies have introduced the types of microaggressions that people of color experience. In the present study, college- and Internet-based samples of African Americans, Latina/os, Asian Americans, and multiracial participants (N = 661) were used to develop and validate the Racial and Ethnic Microaggression Scale (REMS). In Study 1, an exploratory principal-components analyses (n = 443) yielded a 6-factor model: (a) Assumptions of Inferiority, (b) Second-Class Citizen and Assumptions of Criminality, (c) Microinvalidations, (d) Exoticization/Assumptions of Similarity, (e) Environmental Microaggressions, and (f) Workplace and School Microaggressions, with a Cronbach's alpha of .912 for the overall model and subscales ranging from .783 to .873. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (n = 218) supported the 6-factor model with a Cronbach's alpha of .892. Further analyses indicate that the REMS is a valid measure of racial microaggressions, as evidenced by high correlations with existing measures of racism and participants' feedback. Future research directions and implications for practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of emotional distress following a spinal cord injury.

Evaluated a new instrument, the Medical-Based Emotional Distress Scale (MEDS). The MEDS assesses emotional reactions (dysphoria, irritability) in response to a severe physical illness or disability, excluding symptoms that could be the direct result of a physical condition or problem, and includes subscales measuring affective reactions, behavioral changes, and cognitive distortions. A sample of 81 adults with a spinal cord injury was evaluated with the MEDS as well as the SCL-90, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, Hopelessness Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The MEDS subscales displayed moderately high internal consistency. Positive evidence of validity was found for MEDS subscales in the assessment of emotional distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)