Temporal course and structural relationships among dimensions of temperament and DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorder constructs.

The temporal stability and directional relations among dimensions of temperament (e.g., neuroticism) and selected Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) disorder constructs (depression, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia) were examined in 606 outpatients with anxiety and mood disorders, assessed on 3 occasions over a 2-year period. Neuroticism/behavioral inhibition (N/BI) and behavioral activation/positive affect (BA/P) accounted for the cross-sectional covariance of the DSM-IV constructs. Although N/BI evidenced the most change of the constructs examined, initial levels of N/BI predicted less improvement in 2 of the 3 disorder constructs. Unlike the DSM-IV disorder constructs, the temporal stability of N/BI increased as a function of initial severity. Moreover, N/BI explained all the temporal covariation of the DSM-IV disorder constructs. The results are discussed in regard to conceptual models of temperament that define N/BI and BA/P as higher order dimensions accounting for the course and covariation of emotional disorder psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A proposal for a dimensional classification system based on the shared features of the DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders: Implications for assessment and treatment.

A wealth of evidence attests to the extensive current and lifetime diagnostic comorbidity of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., DSM–IV) anxiety and mood disorders. Research has shown that the considerable cross-sectional covariation of DSM–IV emotional disorders is accounted for by common higher order dimensions such as neuroticism/behavioral inhibition (N/BI) and low positive affect/behavioral activation. Longitudinal studies indicate that the temporal covariation of these disorders can be explained by changes in N/BI and, in some cases, initial levels of N/BI are predictive of the temporal course of emotional disorders. The marked phenotypal overlap of the DSM–IV anxiety and mood disorders is a frequent source of diagnostic unreliability (e.g., temporal overlap in the shared features of generalized anxiety disorder and mood disorders, situation specificity of panic attacks in panic disorder and specific phobia). Although extant dimensional proposals may address some drawbacks associated with the DSM nosology (e.g., inadequate assessment of individual differences in disorder severity), these proposals do not reconcile key problems in current classification, such as modest reliability and high comorbidity. This article considers an alternative approach that emphasizes empirically supported common dimensions of emotional disorders over disorder-specific criteria sets. Selection and assessment of these dimensions are discussed along with how these methods could be implemented to promote more reliable and valid diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning. For instance, the advantages of this system are discussed in context of transdiagnostic treatment protocols that are efficaciously applied to a variety of disorders by targeting their shared features. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The early course of depression: A longitudinal investigation of prodromal symptoms and their relation to the symptomatic course of depressive episodes.

The present study explored longitudinal evidence for prodromal symptoms of depression episodes. A model based on previous findings of the relations between prodromal and residual symptoms was described and used to generate hypotheses tested in this study. Data were analyzed from 160 participants from the Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression (CVD) project (L. Alloy & L. Abramson, 1999) who experienced an episode of depression during the prospective follow-up period and 60 CVD participants who did not. Congruent with the hypothesis, individuals who subsequently developed an episode of depression experienced significantly greater numbers of depression symptoms in the period of time leading up to the acute episode compared with those who did not develop a depressive episode. Seven depression symptoms were particularly likely to appear before the onset of an acute episode. Furthermore, all 3 predictions from the model were supported: the durations of prodromal and residual phases were correlated, the prodromal and residual symptom profiles were quite similar, and the order of symptom onset was significantly and highly negatively correlated with the order of symptom remission. Additionally, residual symptom profiles were similar to subsequent prodromal symptom profiles in individuals who experienced more than 1 depressive episode. These findings are discussed in terms of the importance of understanding the earliest prodromal symptoms to appear and their relation to the symptomatic course of depression episodes. Implications for early intervention are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A naturalistic observation study of the links between parental depressive symptoms and preschoolers' behaviors in everyday life.

Previous research has shown that parental depressive symptoms are linked to a number of negative child outcomes. However, the associations between parental depressive symptoms and actual child behaviors in everyday life remain largely unknown. The aims of this study were to investigate the links between parental depressive symptoms and everyday child behaviors and emotional language use using a novel observational methodology, and to explore the potential moderating role of parent–child conflict. We tracked the behaviors and language use of 35 preschool-aged children for two 1-day periods separated by one year using a child version of the Electronically Activated Recorder, a digital voice recorder that records ambient sounds while participants go about their daily lives. Parental depressive symptoms were positively associated with multiple problem behaviors among children (i.e., crying, acting mad, watching TV) when measured both concurrently and prospectively, and with negative emotion word use prospectively. Further, the links between parental depressive symptoms and child crying were moderated by parents' perceptions of parent–child conflict. This study offers the first empirical evidence of direct links between parental depressive symptoms and child behaviors in daily life and presents a promising research tool for the study of everyday child behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life stress and the long-term treatment course of recurrent depression: III. Nonsevere life events predict recurrence for medicated patients over 3 years.

Research has consistently documented the significance of severe life events for onset of major depression. Theory, however, suggests other forms of stress are relevant for depression's recurrence. Nonsevere life events were tested in relation to depression for 126 patients with recurrent depression in a 3-year randomized maintenance protocol. Life stress was assessed every 12 weeks and rated along dimensions of severity, focus, and independence. A significant interaction between specific types of nonsevere life events and medication was found. For medicated patients, subject-focused independent nonsevere life events predicted recurrence; for unmedicated patients, these events predicted fewer recurrences. Other nonsevere life events did not predict recurrence. The findings underscore the potential importance of specific stressors for triggering recurrences of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative longitudinal structural analyses of the growth and decline of multiple intellectual abilities over the life span.

Latent growth curve techniques and longitudinal data are used to examine predictions from the theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence (Gf-Gc theory; J. L. Horn & R. B. Cattell, 1966, 1967). The data examined are from a sample (N?–?1,200) measured on the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised (WJ-R). The longitudinal structural equation models used are based on latent growth models of age using two-occasion "accelerated" data (e.g., J. J. McArdle & R. Q. Bell, 2000; J. J. McArdle & R. W. Woodcock, 1997). Nonlinear mixed-effects growth models based on a dual exponential rate yield a reasonable fit to all life span cognitive data. These results suggest that most broad cognitive functions fit a generalized curve that rises and falls. Novel multilevel models directly comparing growth curves show that broad fluid reasoning (Gf) and acculturated crystallized knowledge (Gc) have different growth patterns. In all comparisons, any model of cognitive age changes with only a single g factor yields an overly simplistic view of growth and change over age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Repeated exposure to stress across the childhood-adolescent period alters rats' anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in adulthood: The importance of stressor type and gender.

This research tests the hypothesis that specific forms of adversity in early life map onto behavioral signs analogous to depression versus anxiety in later life. Male and female rats were exposed to either severe sporadic stress or chronic mild stress during the childhood-adolescent period, and their behavior was tested in adulthood. Males in the severe sporadic stress group showed exaggerated anxiety-related behaviors, as indicated by increases in shock-probe burying and escape-like responses (jumps) from the open arms of the elevated plus-maze. Females exposed to severe sporadic stress displayed no change in burying behavior but did display increases in escape behavior. These same females also exhibited behaviors analogous to depression that manifested as decreased sucrose consumption. The chronic mild stress regime produced effects only in females, including reduced burying, decreased sucrose consumption, and an exaggerated corticosterone response to cold-water immersion stress. Findings reiterate the importance of early life experience to the development of adult psychopathologies and emphasize the need to consider both the type of early experience and gender differences in these analyses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of the effects of pessimism, trait anxiety, and life stress on depressive symptoms in middle-aged women.

The relative contributions of life stress, menopausal status, and pessimism and trait anxiety during the presence and absence of stress on increases in depressive symptoms across 3 years were examined in a sample of 460 premenopausal women, aged 42-50, who had few depressive symptoms at study entry. Multivariate analyses showed that after statistical adjustments for initial depressive symptoms and education, depressive symptoms at follow-up were higher among women (a) who reported stressful events, especially of a chronic nature, (b) who scored highly on trait anxiety, and (c) who were pessimistic and subsequently experienced a stressful ongoing problem. Change in menopausal status was not related to symptoms. The study confirms that midlife stress and both optimism and trait anxiety are important predictors of depressive symptoms during midlife. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The developmental origins of cognitive vulnerability to depression: Temperament, parenting, and negative life events in childhood as contributors to negative cognitive style.

Cognitive models of depression have been well supported with adults, but the developmental origins of cognitive vulnerability are not well understood. The authors hypothesized that temperament, parenting, and negative life events in childhood would contribute to the development of cognitive style, with withdrawal negativity and negative parental feedback moderating the effects of negative life events to predict more depressogenic cognitive styles. These constructs were assessed in 289 children and their parents followed longitudinally from infancy to 5th grade; a subsample (n = 120) also participated in a behavioral task in which maternal feedback to child failure was observed. Results indicated that greater withdrawal negativity in interaction with negative life events was associated with more negative cognitive styles. Self-reported maternal anger expression and observed negative maternal feedback to child's failure significantly interacted with child's negative events to predict greater cognitive vulnerability. There was little evidence of paternal parenting predicting child negative cognitive style. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of forgiveness therapy on depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress for women after spousal emotional abuse.

Emotionally abused women experience negative psychological outcomes long after the abusive spousal relationship has ended. This study compares forgiveness therapy (FT) with an alternative treatment (AT; anger validation, assertiveness, interpersonal skill building) for emotionally abused women who had been permanently separated for 2 or more years (M = 5.00 years, SD = 2.61; n = 10 per group). Participants, who were matched, yoked, and randomized to treatment group, met individually with the intervener. Mean intervention time was 7.95 months (SD = 2.61). The relative efficacy of FT and AT was assessed at p     

Longitudinal analysis of the relationship between symptoms and quality of life in veterans treated for posttraumatic stress disorder.

This study examined how change in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms relates to change in quality of life. The sample consisted of 325 male Vietnam veterans with chronic PTSD who participated in a randomized trial of group psychotherapy. Latent growth modeling was used to test for synchronous effects of PTSD symptom change on psychosocial and physical health-related quality of life within the same time period and lagged effects of initial PTSD symptom change on later change in quality of life. PTSD symptoms were associated with reduced quality of life before treatment. There were synchronous effects of symptom change on change in quality of life but no significant lagged effects. Results indicate the importance of measuring quality of life in future investigations of PTSD treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability and change of personality across the life course: The impact of age and major life events on mean-level and rank-order stability of the Big Five.

Does personality change across the entire life course, and are those changes due to intrinsic maturation or major life experiences? This longitudinal study investigated changes in the mean levels and rank order of the Big Five personality traits in a heterogeneous sample of 14,718 Germans across all of adulthood. Latent change and latent moderated regression models provided 4 main findings: First, age had a complex curvilinear influence on mean levels of personality. Second, the rank-order stability of Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Openness, and Agreeableness all followed an inverted U-shaped function, reaching a peak between the ages of 40 and 60 and decreasing afterward, whereas Conscientiousness showed a continuously increasing rank-order stability across adulthood. Third, personality predicted the occurrence of several objective major life events (selection effects) and changed in reaction to experiencing these events (socialization effects), suggesting that personality can change due to factors other than intrinsic maturation. Fourth, when events were clustered according to their valence, as is commonly done, effects of the environment on changes in personality were either overlooked or overgeneralized. In sum, our analyses show that personality changes throughout the life span, but with more pronounced changes in young and old ages, and that this change is partly attributable to social demands and experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The dynamics of death and meaning: The effects of death-relevant cognitions and personal need for structure on perceptions of meaning in life.

Do reminders of mortality increase or decrease perceptions of life’s meaning? The authors propose that death-relevant thought has divergent effects on meaning perceptions depending on individuals’ personal need for structure (PNS) or dispositional desire for structured knowledge. In prior research, high-PNS individuals primed with mortality-related stimuli were found to employ clearly structured conceptions of reality. Consequently, these individuals were expected to show stable or even bolstered perceptions of meaning when death thought was heightened. Low-PNS individuals did not show this tendency and were therefore expected to show decreased meaning under heightened death-thought activation. The results of Studies 1a–1d supported these hypotheses. Studies 2 and 3 sought to identify how low-PNS individuals might reaffirm meaning and found that death thought increased their willingness to explore novelty. Studies 4 and 5 directly tested the meaning-conferring function of novelty seeking among low-PNS individuals, showing that the consideration of novel interpretations of the world and their experiences affirmed a sense of meaning in life following reminders of death. Discussion focuses on the relationship between meaning and death and the unique ways low-PNS individuals respond to mortality concerns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Main, mediating, and moderating effects of social support on the well-being of survivors of intimate partner violence across 2 years.

Intimate partner violence is a serious and pervasive social problem with deleterious consequences for survivors’ well-being. The current study involved interviewing 160 survivors 6 times over 2 years to examine the role of social support in explaining or buffering these negative psychological consequences. The authors examined both between- and within-persons variability to explore women’s trajectories regarding their experiences of abuse, social support, depression, and quality of life (QOL). Findings revealed the complex role of social support on women’s well-being. Evidence was found for main, mediating, and moderating effects of social support on women’s well-being. First, social support was positively related to QOL and negatively related to depression. Social support also partially explained the effect of baseline level and subsequent change in physical abuse on QOL and depression over time, partially mediated the effects of change in psychological abuse, and moderated the impact of abuse on QOL. The buffering effects of social support were strongest at lower levels of abuse. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)