Assessing personality features and their relations with behavioral problems in adolescents: Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire and Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

Cascades From Early Adolescent Impulsivity to Late Adolescent Antisocial Personality Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder

PURPOSE

The behavioral disinhibition model (BDM) posits that a liability toward impulsivity evident by early adolescence underlies the coemergence of antisocial behavior and alcohol use (i.e., problem behaviors) in early-adolescence to mid-adolescence, but that the subsequent development of these problem behaviors (rather than impulsivity itself) predicts the emergence of antisocial personality disorder (APD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) in late adolescence. The present study was designed to test these predictions of the BDM from early to late adolescence.

METHODS

We used five-year longitudinal self-report data from the Philadelphia Trajectory Study that was collected from 2006-2012. Mediational analyses were performed using the Random Intercept Cross-lagged Panel Model, which enables the detection of within-person predictions of changes in problem behaviors during adolescence. The sample was ethnically and socioeconomically diverse, including 364 urban US community youth (at baseline: Mage = 13.51(.95); 49.1% female).

RESULTS

Consistent with the BDM, mediational analyses revealed that changes in early adolescent impulsivity predicted late adolescent APD and AUD criteria, mediated by changes in mid-adolescent alcohol use and conduct problems.

DISCUSSION

Interventions targeting impulsivity in early adolescence could potentially halt the cascading chain of events leading to both late adolescent APD and AUD by decelerating growth in antisocial behavior and alcohol use during early-adolescence to mid-adolescence. From mid-adolescence to late-adolescence, the consequences of early impulsivity, especially involvement in antisocial behaviors, become a more relevant predictor of both APD and AUD rather than impulsivity itself.

Rethinking Cell Phone Use While Driving: Isolated Risk Behavior or a Pattern of Risk-Taking Associated with Impulsivity in Young Drivers?

This study examines whether cell phone use stands apart from a general pattern of risky driving practices associated with crashes and impulsivity-related personality traits in young drivers. A retrospective online survey study recruited 384 young drivers from across the United States using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to complete a survey measuring risky driving practices (including cell phone use), history of crashes, and impulsivity-related personality traits. Almost half (44.5%) of the drivers reported being involved in at least one crash, and the majority engaged in cell phone use while driving (up to 73%). Factor analysis and structural equation modeling found that cell phone use loaded highly on a latent factor with other risky driving practices that were associated with prior crashes (b = 0.15, [95% CI: 0.01, 0.29]). There was also an indirect relationship between one form of impulsivity and crashes through risky driving (b = 0.127, [95% CI: 0.01, 0.30]). Additional analyses did not find an independent contribution to crashes for frequent cell phone use. These results suggest a pattern of risky driving practices associated with impulsivity in young drivers, indicating the benefit of exploring a more comprehensive safe driving strategy that includes the avoidance of cell phone use as well as other risky practices, particularly for young drivers with greater impulsive tendencies.

Risk factors for nicotine dependence in Chinese patients with lung cancer

Objective

Smoking is a poor prognostic factor for lung cancer. Nicotine dependence remains the major cause of failure of smoking cessation. We investigated the risk factors for nicotine dependence in patients with lung cancer.

Methods

Eligible patients were identified from November 2014 to February 2015. Age, marital status, educational level, annual household income, occupation, histology of lung cancer, tumor stage, smoking status, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) level, drive gene mutations, sleep quality, and patient personality were assessed. Physical nicotine dependence was assessed by the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND).

Results

In total, 202 smokers were included in this study. Univariate analysis showed that marital status and pain were significantly correlated with nicotine dependence. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that age at the initiation of smoking, attempts to quit, NSE level, and sleep quality were significantly correlated with FTND scores.

Conclusions

Pain, more attempts to quit, and poorer sleep quality were significantly associated with nicotine dependence. These risk factors could help to prevent smoking in Chinese patients with lung cancer.

Relationship among methadone dose, polymorphisms of dopamine D2 receptor and tri-dimensional personality questionnaire in heroin-addicted patients

BACKGROUND

We investigated whether variation in the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) and tri-dimensional personality questionnaire (TPQ) scores could be used to aid adjustment of daily methadone requirements of heroin addicts. DRD2 TaqI B polymorphisms and TPQ scores were determined in 138 male Taiwanese heroin addicts who were receiving methadone treatment. Borderline index (harm avoidance + novelty seeking-reward dependence) was calculated for each subject, and three groups were defined: high (mean from all subjects plus 1 standard deviation, or greater), low (half of the calculated high score, or lower) and medium (all values between the high and low scores).

RESULTS

No significant differences in age (p = 0.60), mean methadone dose (p = 0.75) or borderline index group (p = 0.25) were observed between subjects bearing the B1/B1, B1/B2 and B2/B2 DRD2 TaqI genotypes. Among the individuals with low (≤10), medium (11-20) and high (≥21) borderline index scores, there was a significant difference in mean methadone dose (p = 0.04), but not age (p = 0.90). Further analysis showed that mean methadone dose was significantly higher in subjects with low borderline index scores than in those with high scores (62.5 vs. 47.0 mg/day, p = 0.03). The odds ratio for a daily methadone requirement ≥60 mg (median dose across the 138 subjects) was 2.64-fold greater in the low borderline index group than in the high group (p = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the DRD2 TaqI B genotype was not associated with methadone use requirements, borderline index was revealed as a potential predictive marker for the adjustment of methadone dosage requirements in heroin addicts.

Might the temperament be a bias in clinical study on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?: Novelty Seeking dimension as a core feature of ADHD

Some clinical studies on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been found to overlap those of studies on personality, particularly those on the Novelty Seeking trait (NS) as measured by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential role of NS in clinical research on ADHD. We enroled 146 ADHD children (125 boys; mean age=9.61, S.D.=2.50) and 223 age- and gender-matched control children (178 boys; mean age=9.41, S.D.=2.30). All the parents filled in the JTCI for the evaluation of personality according to Cloninger׳s model. An exploratory factor analysis differentiated the NS items that concern "Impulsivity" (NS1) from those that concern other features (NS2). Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVAs) revealed significant differences between ADHD children and non-ADHD children in temperamental dimensions: the scores of ADHD children were higher than those of non-ADHD children in Total NS, NS1-Impulsivity and NS2. Our results show that the NS dimension of the JTCI in ADHD children is higher than in non-ADHD children, even when a correction is made for impulsivity items. This finding suggests that the NS trait plays a central role in ADHD diagnosis even when items referred to impulsivity are removed from the NS scale.

Association between Blood Level of Plasma Oxytocin and Novelty Seeking among Methadone-Maintained Heroin Users

BACKGROUND

Oxytocin interacts with the dopaminergic system, which plays a role in addiction behaviors. The association between oxytocin and addiction was confirmed in animal studies. Novelty seeking is one of the predictors and indicators of drug addiction. The aim of the present study was to probe the association between oxytocin and novelty seeking.

METHODS

The study was conducted in a methadone maintenance therapy clinic of a medical center in Taiwan; 77 patients with heroin dependency were enrolled. Plasma oxytocin was measured using an ELISA kit. Novelty seeking was measured using an established instrument (the novelty seeking subscale of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire).

RESULTS

A significant negative association (ρ = -0.27, p = 0.02; r = -0.34, p = 0.003) between the blood level of plasma oxytocin and novelty seeking was found. This association was significant after controlling the effects of perceived social support and the dosage of methadone (r = -0.32, p = 0.006).

CONCLUSION

The negative association between oxytocin and novelty seeking may provide insight into future treatments for addiction. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Child Temperament, Maternal Parenting Behavior, and Child Social Functioning

We examined child temperament, maternal parenting, and the effects of their interactions with each other on child social functioning. A total of 355 children aged 5-18 years old (54% male; mean age=10.8) were evaluated. Regression equations were used to test models of the main and interactive effects of temperament and maternal parenting behavior on the Social Problems and Social Competence Subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), a questionnaire assessing internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in children ages 4 to 18. Higher levels of child Novelty Seeking and Harm Avoidance and lower levels of Persistence were significantly associated with poorer social functioning. When accounting for child temperament, neither maternal parenting nor the interaction between maternal parenting and child temperament were significantly associated with social functioning. However, the interaction between maternal positive involvement and harm avoidance trended toward significance, such that at higher levels of harm avoidance, more extreme levels of maternal positive involvement were related to lower levels of social functioning. Further research on the interplay between child temperament and parenting across different stages of development is warranted.

Experimentation versus progression in adolescent drug use: A test of an emerging neurobehavioral imbalance model

Based on an emerging neuroscience model of addiction, this study examines how an imbalance between two neurobehavioral systems (reward motivation and executive control) can distinguish between early adolescent progressive drug use and mere experimentation with drugs. Data from four annual assessments of a community cohort (N = 382) of 11- to 13-year-olds were analyzed to model heterogeneity in patterns of early drug use. Baseline assessments of working memory (an indicator of the functional integrity of the executive control system) and three dimensions of impulsivity (characterizing the balance between reward seeking and executive control systems) were used to predict heterogeneous latent classes of drug use trajectories from early to midadolescence. Findings revealed that an imbalance resulting from weak executive control and heightened reward seeking was predictive of early progression in drug use, while heightened reward seeking balanced by a strong control system was predictive of occasional experimentation only. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of preventive interventions that can target underlying weaknesses in executive control during younger years, and potentially enable at-risk adolescents to exercise greater self-restraint in the context of rewarding drug-related cues.

Working memory ability predicts trajectories of early alcohol use in adolescents: the mediational role of impulsivity

AIMS

(i) To evaluate the role of pre-existing weakness in working memory ability (WM) as a risk factor for early alcohol use as mediated by different forms of impulsivity and (ii) to assess the adverse effects of progressive alcohol use on variations in WM over time.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A community sample of 358 adolescents [48% males, mean(age) (baseline) = 11.4 ± 0.87 years] from a longitudinal cohort design, assessed annually over 4 consecutive years with less than 6% attrition.

MEASUREMENTS

Repeated assessments were conducted for the following key variables: WM (based on performance on four separate tasks), frequency of alcohol use (AU) and three forms of impulsivity, namely sensation seeking (SS), acting without thinking (AWT) and delay discounting (DD). Latent growth curve modeling procedures were used to identify individual trajectories of change for all key variables.

FINDINGS

Weakness in WM (at baseline) predicted significantly both concurrent alcohol use and increased frequency of use over the four waves (P < 0.05). This effect was entirely mediated by two forms of impulsivity, AWT and DD, both of which were characterized by underlying weakness in WM. No individual variation was observed in the slopes of WM, which suggests that individual variations in alcohol use were not associated with changes in WM in our early adolescent sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Early adolescent alcohol use may be a consequence of (pre-existing) weaknesses in working memory (WM) rather than a cause of it. Efforts to reduce early alcohol use should consider the distinct roles of different impulsivity dimensions, in addition to WM, as potential targets of intervention.

Sensation seeking as risk factor for suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in adolescence

BACKGROUND

High sensation seeking in adolescence is associated with engagement in risk-taking behaviors, especially substance use. Although depressed adolescents are prone to increased risk-taking, and suicidal behavior can be considered within the spectrum of risk-taking behaviors, the relationships between sensation seeking, depression, and suicidal behavior have not been explored.

METHODS

A self-report questionnaire assessing sensation seeking, depression, substance use problems, and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts was completed by 9th- through 12th-grade students (n=2189) in six New York State high-schools from 2002 through 2004. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine main and interaction effects between sensation seeking and the four clinical variables.

RESULTS

High sensation seeking was positively associated with depressive symptoms and substance use problems. The main effects of sensation seeking on suicidal ideation and suicide attempts remained significant after controlling for depression and substance use. The association between sensation seeking and suicide attempts was moderated by substance use problems.

LIMITATIONS

The schools were suburban and predominantly white, limiting the generalizability of the results. Other mental disorders with potential implications for sensation seeking and for suicidal behavior, such as bipolar disorders, were not assessed.

CONCLUSIONS

The finding that sensation seeking makes an independent contribution to the risk of suicidal ideation and attempts is consistent with findings in literature on novelty seeking and impulsivity. The associations between sensation seeking, depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior may be compatible with the presence of an underlying temperamental dysregulation. Screening for sensation seeking may contribute to the reduction of adolescent suicide risk.

Sex-dependent correlations between the personality dimension of harm avoidance and the resting-state functional connectivity of amygdala subregions

Harm avoidance (HA) is a personality dimension involving the tendency to respond intensely to signals of aversive stimuli. Many previous neuroimaging studies have associated HA scores with the structural and functional organization of the amygdala, but none of these studies have evaluated the correlation between HA score and amygdala resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC). Moreover, the amygdala is not a homogeneous structure, and it has been divided into several structurally and functionally distinct subregions. Investigating the associations between HA score and properties of subregions of the amygdala could greatly improve our understanding of HA. In the present study, using a large sample of 291 healthy young adults, we aimed to uncover correlations between HA scores and the rsFCs of each amygdala subregion and to uncover possible sex-based differences in these correlations. We found that subregions of the amygdala showed different rsFC patterns, which contributed differently to individual HA scores. More specifically, HA scores were correlated with rsFCs between the laterobasal amygdala subregion and temporal and occipital cortices related to emotional information input, between the centromedial subregion and the frontal cortices associated with emotional output control, and between the superficial subregion and the frontal and temporal areas involved in both functions. Moreover, significant gender-based differences were uncovered in these correlations. Our findings provide a more detailed model of association between HA scores and amygdala rsFC, extend our understanding of the connectivity of subregions of the amygdala, and confirm sex-based differences in HA associations.

Early adolescent sexual debut: the mediating role of working memory ability, sensation seeking, and impulsivity

Although deficits in working memory ability have been implicated in suboptimal decision making and risk taking among adolescents, its influence on early sexual initiation has so far not been examined. Analyzing 2 waves of panel data from a community sample of adolescents (N = 347; Mean age[baseline] = 13.4 years), assessed 1 year apart, the present study tested the hypothesis that weak working memory ability predicts early sexual initiation and explored whether this relationship is mediated by sensation seeking and 2 forms of impulsivity, namely acting-without-thinking and temporal discounting. The 2 forms of impulsivity were expected to be positively associated with early sexual initiation, whereas sensation seeking was hypothesized to be unrelated or to have a protective influence, due to its positive association with working memory. Results obtained from structural equation modeling procedures supported these predictions and in addition showed that the effects of 3 prominent risk factors (Black racial identity, low socioeconomic background, and early pubertal maturation) on early sexual initiation were entirely mediated by working memory and impulsivity. The findings are discussed in regard to their implications for preventing early sexual onset among adolescents.

The Taipei Adolescent Twin/Sibling Family Study I: Behavioral Problems, Personality Features, and Neuropsychological Performance

The present study aimed to investigate genetic and environmental influences on behavioral problems, personality features, and neuropsycho-logical performance among adolescents in Taipei, Taiwan. Between 1996 and 1998, with the assistance of the Twin Association and junior high schools in Taipei City, we solicited a list of twins from 51 junior high schools in Taipei. Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the twins enrolled in these schools were obtained. The vast majority of the recruited twins were between 12 and 16 years old. The recruited twins received assessments for behavioral problems, general and schizotypal personality, and cognitive functions. Their parents rated their children on behavioral/ emotional problems and were assessed on their own general and specific personality. Same-sex sibling pairs (ages vary within 2 years) and their parents from three schools were also recruited to increase sample size for the group with a kinship coefficient of .50. Twins' zygosity was determined by a combination of DNA typing and physical similarity. The Mx program was used to estimate parameters for the full model and its reduced models. The recruitment, measurements, data managements, and published results are described in this article.

Understanding externalizing behavior from children's personality and parenting characteristics

A total of 946 Japanese children in the 5th to 9th grades and their parents were studied in order to investigate the extent to which parenting characteristics (measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument) and the personality of the child (measured by the junior version of the Temperament and Character Inventory) would be associated with the two aspects of the externalizing problems--aggression and delinquency--of the child (measured by the Child Behavior Checklist). A series of regression analyses demonstrated that (1) aggressive children were higher in Novelty Seeking, and delinquent children were higher in Novelty Seeking and lower in Harm Avoidance, and (2) both aggressive and delinquent children were characterised by low maternal care, paternal over-protection, and low maternal overprotection. A structural equation model confirmed these findings except for the link between the two externalizing behaviour scores and the maternal care. Moreover, it was suggested that Novelty seeking of the child would be predicted by low parental care and low paternal and high maternal overprotection. The children's aggression and delinquency could, to some extent, be explainable by their temperament patterns and parental characteristics.

Executive cognitive functions and impulsivity as correlates of risk taking and problem behavior in preadolescents

Initiation of drug use and other risky behavior in preadolescence is associated with poor developmental outcomes. In this research, we examine models that ascribe the trajectory to (a) weak executive cognitive function (ECF), (b) early manifestation of externalizing problems, or (c) heightened levels of trait impulsivity. We test the explanatory power of these factors in a structural equation model with a community sample of 387 preadolescents ages 10-12 years. Participants were tested with a computerized battery of tasks to assess three facets of ECF (working memory, cognitive control, and reward processing) as well as with an audio assisted computerized self-interview to obtain reports of impulsivity and risk behaviors (use of cigarettes and alcohol as well as engaging in fighting and gambling for money) and a self-administered questionnaire to assess externalizing and internalizing problems. The best fitting model explained both early risk taking and externalizing symptoms as the result of individual differences in impulsivity. Although no ECF was directly related to risk taking, working memory and one measure of reward processing performance (reversal learning) were inversely related to impulsivity. The results are discussed in regard to theories of early risk taking with particular focus on the potential relation between ECF and impulsive behavior tendencies and the implications for early intervention to prevent the dysfunctional trajectory associated with early risk behavior.

Greek EPQ-J: Further Support for a Three-Factor Model of Personality in Children and Adolescents

This study aimed to investigate the validity of the Eysenckian personality dimensions in 1,368 children and adolescents who completed the Greek Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Junior (EPQ-J). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were employed. Controversial issues regarding the Lie and Psychoticism scales were also investigated. Finally, the predictive validity of the EPQ-J was assessed using Goodman’s Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analytic results supported the four-factor structure of the scale. Results provide support for the appropriateness of the EPQ-J with Greek speaking samples and add to the international literature regarding the three-factor model of personality in children and adolescents.

Individual and family correlates for cigarette smoking among Taiwanese college students

OBJECTIVE

This college-based questionnaire survey aimed to explore the individual, family, and peer correlates for cigarette smoking among first-year college students.

METHOD

The sample included 2918 first-year college students (males, 45.5%) recruited from a national university in Taiwan (participation rate, 79.1%). The participants reported on questions about various substances, attitudes toward substances, personality characteristics, psychopathology, suicidal behaviors, parenting style, family function and use of substances, and peer substance use.

RESULTS

There were 263 (9.0%; males, 70.6%) current smokers. Compared to nonsmokers, college smokers were more extraverted and neurotic, and showed less harm avoidance, and more novelty seeking in their personality. They had more hostile, somatic, depressive, paranoid, and psychotic symptoms in terms of psychopathology. Smokers were more likely to use other substances, and to have suicidal ideations, wishes, plans, and attempts. Smokers perceived lower family cohesion, less care from their fathers, and less overprotection from their mothers. They were more likely to have peers and family members who also smoked or used other substances. The most associated correlates were male sex, older age, other substance use, novelty seeking, suicidal ideation and attempts, sibling and peer substance use, a prosubstance attitude, and less maternal overprotection.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support the association of cigarette use in Taiwanese young adults with several individual, family, and peer factors identified in Western studies. Intervention in cigarette use should be multifaceted, by taking its correlates and the concurrent psychopathology, use of substances, and suicidality into consideration.

Psychometric properties of a French version of the junior temperament and character inventory

The junior temperament and character inventory (JTCI) has been developed for the assessment of temperament and character dimensions in childhood based on Cloninger's model of personality. We evaluated the psychometric proprieties of a French child and parent-rated version of the JTCI based on a previous German version, and assessed the correlations between the JTCI dimension scores and the scores on the child behavior checklist (CBCL) in a community sample of French children and adolescents aged 10-16 years. We used data from 452 child-rated and 233 -parent-rated JCTI. The psychometric properties (internal consistency and external validity in relation to the emotionality activity sociability (EAS) questionnaire) of the French JTCI were adequate in the parent-rated version. The parent-rated JTCI had overall better psychometric qualities than the child-rated version, but for both versions of the JTCI the confirmatory factor analysis showed low fit between the observed data and the original model. Dimensions of the EAS model were significantly correlated with the temperament scales of the JTCI. Further studies are required to improve the psychometric properties of the child-rated JTCI, and to provide insight about lacking fit of our data with the theoretical model.

Behavioral disinhibition: liability for externalizing spectrum disorders and its genetic and environmental relation to response inhibition across adolescence

Behavioral disinhibition has been characterized as a generalized vulnerability to externalizing disorders. Despite increasing evidence for its validity and heritability, the structural stability of behavioral disinhibition across adolescence and the strength and etiology of its relation to executive functions have not been studied. In this multivariate twin study, the authors assessed behavioral disinhibition using measures tapping substance use, conduct disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and novelty seeking at ages 12 and 17. Executive functions were assessed with laboratory-based cognitive tasks at age 17. Results indicated that, at age 12, behavioral disinhibition was dominated by ADHD and conduct problems and was highly heritable. At age 17, the contributions of the 4 components were more balanced, and the proportion of variance attributable to genetic factors was somewhat smaller, with additional variance due to shared environmental influences. At both ages, behavioral disinhibition was more closely related to response inhibition than other executive functions (working memory updating and task-set shifting), and this relationship was primarily genetic in origin. These results highlight the dynamic nature of behavioral disinhibition across adolescence and suggest that response inhibition may be an important mechanism underlying vulnerability to disinhibitory psychopathology.

The Psychometric Properties of the Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS) and the Concern for Appropriateness Scale (CAS) in Hebrew

We examined the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of a Hebrew translation of Lennox and Wolfe’s Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS) and Concern for Appropriateness Scale (CAS) in a large Israeli population sample. A total of 1,294 individuals (1,010 females and 284 males), divided into two samples, completed the RSMS, the CAS, the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire Harm Avoidance Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. With the exception of RSMS Item 12, the total and subscale structure of the English versions of the scales was replicated in both samples. Internal consistencies compared very favorably with those of the original scales. The CAS and the RSMS were moderately correlated yet appeared to be distinct, correlating as expected in opposite directions with harm avoidance and self-esteem. Confirmatory factor analysis justified the use of the RSMS and the CAS as separate scales with two subscales in each. Whereas the fit of our data to the RSMS was very good, the fit to the CAS was far less satisfactory, apparently because items tended to load onto both subscales. The Hebrew translation of the RSMS, and, to a lesser extent, that of the CAS, appear to be psychometrically sound instruments.

Genetic and environmental influences on the junior temperament and character inventory in a preadolescent twin sample

This study evaluated the genetic and environmental structure of personality variables from the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI), in 605 pairs of 9- and 10-year old twins. There is a paucity of information on the biometric structure of temperament and character traits in preadolescent children. Latent factor models were fit to the subscales/items of each trait as a method of estimating genetic and environmental effects on true score variance, especially since internal consistency and reliability were moderate or low for some scales (particularly Reward Dependence and Persistence). Shared environmental influences on Cooperativeness were substantial. Significant heritability estimates were obtained for Self-directedness and Harm Avoidance, but not Novelty Seeking, Reward Dependence or Persistence. With the exception of Harm Avoidance, each of the scales failed to show measurement invariance with respect to sex, suggesting these scales may differ in meaning for boys and girls at this age.

Risk factors for suicide in Taiwanese college students

OBJECTIVE

The authors investigated the personality characteristics, psychopathology, parenting style, and family function among Taiwanese college students with high, moderate, and low suicidal risks.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample included 2,919 first-year college students (1,414 men, 1,505 women) from a university in Taipei, Taiwan.

METHODS

A self-administered questionnaire assessed domains covering demographics, personality, psychopathology, frequency of substance use, parenting style, family functioning, and suicidal behaviors. The authors used mixed models for data analysis.

RESULTS

The authors observed a positive linear trend between increased suicidal tendency and levels of neuroticism, harm avoidance, novelty seeking, psychopathology, and parenting styles of low affection, overprotection, and authoritarian controlling. Use of tobacco and alcohol and impaired family adaptation and cohesion were associated with high and moderate suicidal risks.

CONCLUSIONS

Personality, psychopathology, substance use, and familial factors are important correlates of suicidal risks among college students in Taiwan. Optimal suicide prevention strategies in the college setting should incorporate the multiple facets of suicidal risks.

Gambling initiation in preadolescents

Gambling has increased in the past decade, with growing opportunities for initiation by adolescents. More limited data, however, are available regarding gambling in preadolescents. In the investigation reported here, gambling for money was the most common risk behavior in 10- to 12-year-olds. Gamblers were more likely to be white, have tried alcohol, have positive affect toward gambling, and have friends who gamble.

The roles of personality traits and negative life events on the episodes of depressive symptoms in nonreferred adolescents: a 1-year follow-up study

PURPOSE

To evaluate the influences of personality traits and nonsevere life events on depressive episodes in a 1-year follow-up in nonreferred adolescents.

METHODS

Participants were 2,773 students aged 12 to 16 years randomly selected from six middle schools in Taiwan who were assessed both at baseline for personality traits and depressive symptoms and at 1 year later for negative life events and depressive symptoms. Two, single, or no episodes of depression were based on whether the scores of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression crossed over the cutoff of 28 at two time points. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to correlate personality or negative life events, which were trichotomized by means of tertiles or number of events, with the episodes of depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

After controlling for possible confounders, only elevated neuroticism was associated with a single episode of depressive symptoms, whereas a medium level or above of neuroticism, extraversion, or negative life events all exhibited association with the occurrence of two episodes. No interactions were found between all personality traits or between personality and negative life events.

CONCLUSIONS

The relations of personality traits or nonsevere life events to depressive symptoms depend on whether the episode is an initial one. A high level in neuroticism is a critical vulnerability factor for the initiation of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Once the threshold has been surpassed, the influences of various personality traits and nonsevere life events on the subsequent depressive symptoms become cumulative and exhibit a dose-response relationship.

Latent profiles of temperament and their relations to psychopathology and wellness

OBJECTIVE

To test for empirically defined temperament phenotypes and to investigate their associations with psychopathology and wellness.

METHOD

The sample included 447 children (259 boys, 188 girls; mean age 11.0 years) recruited for a family study in the northeastern United States. Temperament was measured with the Juvenile Temperament and Character Inventory, and indicators of wellness and psychopathology were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist from both parents and the Teacher Report Form. Latent profiles analysis was performed with the resulting class membership serving as the dependent variables for multinomial regression analyses.

RESULTS

Latent profiles analysis identified three classes as the best fitting solution consisting of a moderate class that had average levels of all four traits, a steady class that had low novelty seeking and high persistence and a disengaged class that had higher novelty seeking and harm avoidance but lower reward dependence and persistence. Regressions demonstrated strong links between the steady class, higher functioning, and lower levels of psychopathology, whereas the disengaged class showed the opposite associations. These findings held across informants of psychopathology and wellness.

CONCLUSIONS

Profile analyses of temperament may be illuminative in identifying children with similar constellations of traits across many dimensions. Membership in these groups appears to be strongly related to both positive and negative outcomes.

Interactions between child and parent temperament and child behavior problems

OBJECTIVE

Few studies of temperament have tested goodness-of-fit theories of child behavior problems. In this study, we test the hypothesis that interactions between child and parent temperament dimensions predict levels of child psychopathology after controlling for the effects of these dimensions individually.

METHODS

Temperament and psychopathology were assessed in a total of 175 children (97 boys, 78 girls; mean age, 10.99 years; SD, 3.66 years) using composite scores from multiple informants of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment. Parent temperament was assessed using the adult version of the Temperament and Character Inventory. Statistical analyses included multiple regression procedures to assess the contribution of child-parent temperament interactions after controlling for demographic variables, other types of child psychopathology, and the individual Temperament and Character Inventory and Junior Temperament and Character Inventory dimensions.

RESULTS

Interactions between child and parent temperament dimensions predicted higher levels of externalizing, internalizing, and attention problems over and above the effects of these dimensions alone. Among others, the combination of high child novelty seeking with high maternal novelty was associated with child attention problems, whereas the combination of high child harm avoidance and high father harm avoidance was associated with increased child internalizing problems. Many child temperament dimensions also exerted significant effects independently.

CONCLUSIONS

The association between a child temperament trait and psychopathology can be dependent upon the temperament of parents. These data lend support to previous theories of the importance of goodness-of-fit.

Exploring the boundary between temperament and generalized anxiety disorder: a receiver operating characteristic analysis

Studies of individuals with an increased tendency to experience negative emotions such as fear, sadness, and anger have documented links between this temperamental trait and anxiety disorders. There exists debate, however, concerning the degree to which high levels of a temperamental trait are a necessary and/or sufficient component of a DSM diagnosis. In this study, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses assessed the relations between levels of harm avoidance (HA) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) diagnoses in 334 children and their parents. Analyses revealed HA scores to be highly predictive of GAD diagnoses in children (AUC=.791, P<.001) and adults (AUC=.818, P<.001). However, there were many individuals with high HA scores who did not qualify for a GAD diagnosis. These findings suggest that while there are strong associations between HA and GAD, high levels of HA are neither necessary nor sufficient in the formation of clinically significant anxiety symptoms.

Temperament and its role in developmental psychopathology

Temperament refers to early-appearing variation in emotional reactivity. The core dimensions of temperament and optimal method for assessment continue to be sources of considerable discussion. Nevertheless, the moderate stability of most temperamental traits and the strong influence of genetic and unique environmental factors have been well established, along with temperament's association with childhood psychiatric disorders. Both temperamental predisposition toward experiencing negative emotions and low inhibitory control are linked to many psychiatric conditions, while other dimensions, such as levels of extraversion, vary by, and likely even within, disorders. Accumulating research directed at understanding the mechanism of these links between temperament and psychopathology indicate that, at least for most disorders, the two constructs cannot be viewed as simply different points along a shared continuum. The effect of temperament upon psychopathology has been found to be mediated and moderated by a number of both internal and external factors. Additional research is needed to help further define the core dimensions of temperament and the complex mechanisms through which temperamental traits interact with other influences in affecting developmental trajectories.

Associations between temperament and DSM-IV externalizing disorders in children and adolescents

This study investigated associations between child temperament and DSM-IV disorders in children. A total of 156 probands (97 boys, 59 girls; mean age = 10.78 years) and 154 randomly selected siblings were assessed using the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI) and a structured DSM-IV interview. Subjects were placed in nonoverlapping groups of (1) attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) only, (2) disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) only, (3) DBD plus an affective and/or anxiety disorder (DBD+Int), and (4) controls with no diagnosis. Many JTCI scales were found to differ between diagnostic groups and controls. Regression analyses showed independent associations between low persistence and ADHD-only group membership, high novelty seeking (NS), and the DBD-only group and between high harm avoidance (HA) and DBD+Int group membership. The interaction NS x HA was related to the ADHD-only group. Future research is needed to determine the mechanism of these association.