Moderators of the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and externalizing problems in youth

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported online in Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment on Oct 26 2023 (see record 2024-19662-001). In the original article, the authors changed the order of authorship from "Blair D. Batky, Allison N. Shields, Jennifer L. Tackett, and Randall T. Salekin" to "Blair D. Batky, Allison N. Shields, Randall T. Salekin, and Jennifer L. Tackett." All versions of this article have been corrected. The names appear correctly in this record.] Callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., tendencies to experience low levels of guilt and empathy) are associated with severe and persistent conduct problems in youth. However, some youth with elevated CU traits do not exhibit severe externalizing problems, and further research is needed to identify conditions under which CU traits are more versus less strongly associated with higher levels of externalizing behavior. To this end, the current preregistered study examined whether internalizing problems, five-factor model personality traits, and parenting practices moderated associations between CU traits and externalizing problems. Caregivers of 1,232 youth ages 6-18 (Mage = 11.46) reported on youths' CU traits, externalizing, internalizing, and five-factor model traits as well as on their own parenting practices. We found that the relationship between CU traits and externalizing was robust to the moderating effects of internalizing problems and parenting practices, but CU traits were more strongly related to externalizing problems at higher levels of neuroticism and at lower levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness. Results contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of externalizing problems among youth high in CU traits and may inform future longitudinal and intervention research seeking to identify factors that reduce externalizing behavior among high-CU youth. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Understanding the Leaders of Tomorrow: The Need to Study Leadership in Adolescence

Leadership traits and behaviors are observed early in human development, and although an improved understanding of youth leadership would usefully inform many real-world contexts (e.g., education, parenting, policy), most empirical work on leadership has been limited to adult populations. The purpose of the current article is to add a developmental perspective to leadership research that has so far been absent. Here, we (a) highlight adolescence as a critical developmental period for leadership emergence and development, (b) argue that leadership among youths is poorly understood and critically understudied, (c) provide exemplars of synergy between research on leadership and adolescent development that are ripe for focused inquiry, and (d) underscore some of the positive consequences of accelerating empirical research on leadership in adolescence, including implications for a deeper understanding of leadership in adult working populations.

A Mixed-Methods Approach to Refining and Measuring the Construct of Positive Risk-Taking in Adolescence

Adolescence is a peak period for risk-taking, but research has largely overlooked positive manifestations of adolescent risk-taking due to ambiguity regarding operationalization and measurement of positive risk-taking. We address this limitation using a mixed-methods approach. We elicited free responses from contemporary college students (N = 74, Mage  = 20.1 years) describing a time they took a risk. Qualitative analysis informed the construction of a self-report positive risk-taking scale, which was administered to a population-based sample of adolescents (N = 1,249, Mage  = 16 years) for quantitative validation and examination of associations with normative and impulsive personality. Sensation seeking predicted negative and positive risk-taking, whereas extraversion and openness were predominantly related to positive risk-taking. Results provide promising evidence for a valid measure of adolescents' engagement in positive risks.

Genetic variance in conscientiousness relates to youth psychopathology beyond executive functions

Because deficits in self-regulation (SR) are core features of many diverse psychological disorders, SR may constitute one of many dimensions that underlie shared variance across diagnostic boundaries (e.g., the p factor, a dimension reflecting shared variance across multiple psychological disorders). SR definitions encompass constructs mapping onto different theoretical traditions and different measurement approaches, however. Two SR operationalizations, executive functioning and conscientiousness, are often used interchangeably despite their low empirical associations-a "jingle" fallacy that pervades much of the research on SR-psychopathology relationships. In a population-based sample of 1,219 twins and multiples from the Texas Twin Project (Mage = 10.60, SDage = 1.76), with a comprehensive battery of measures, we aimed to clarify how these often-muddled aspects of SR relate to individual differences in psychopathology, and whether links between them are accounted for by overlapping genetic and environmental factors. The p factor and an Attention Problems-specific factor were associated with lower executive functioning and conscientiousness. Executive functioning shared a small amount of genetic variance with p above and beyond conscientiousness, whereas conscientiousness shared substantial genetic variance with p independently of genetic variance accounted for by executive functioning. Conversely, the Attention Problems-specific factor was strongly genetically associated with executive functioning independently of genetic variance accounted for by conscientiousness. Results support the notion that SR and psychopathology, broadly conceived, may exist on overlapping spectra, but this overlap varies across conceptualizations of SR and the level of specificity at which psychopathology is assessed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The need to grow: Developmental considerations and challenges for modern psychiatric taxonomies

Recently proposed psychiatric taxonomies and classification systems, Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) and the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP), aim to structure symptoms of psychopathology along a common set of dimensions. Hierarchical dimensional models of psychopathology are empirically supported and facilitate more productive research on disorder etiology and course. Lacking in these modern approaches, however, is a thoughtful integration of developmental context and considerations. In this brief commentary, we argue for (a) the importance of structural models of personality and psychopathology to advance an understanding of psychopathology development and etiology, (b) important considerations for measurement and assessment from a developmental perspective, and (c) the importance of taking more seriously the hard work of developmental taxonomic research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

HiTOP Assessment of Externalizing Antagonism and Disinhibition

This article outlines the Phase 1 efforts of the HiTOP Measure Development group for externalizing constructs, which include disinhibited externalizing, antagonistic externalizing, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance use, and externalizing/maladaptive behaviors. We provide background on the constructs included and the process and issues involved in developing a measure for this diverse range of psychopathology symptoms, traits, and behaviors.

Neurobiology and the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology: progress toward ontogenetically informed and clinically useful nosology

The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) is an empirical structural model of psychological symptoms formulated to improve the reliability and validity of clinical assessment. Neurobiology can inform assessments of early risk and intervention strategies, and the HiTOP model has greater potential to interface with neurobiological measures than traditional categorical diagnoses given its enhanced reliability. However, one complication is that observed biological correlates of clinical symptoms can reflect various factors, ranging from dispositional risk to consequences of psychopathology. In this paper, we argue that the HiTOP model provides an optimized framework for conducting research on the biological correlates of psychopathology from an ontogenetic perspective that distinguishes among indicators of liability, current symptoms, and consequences of illness. Through this approach, neurobiological research can contribute more effectively to identifying individuals at high dispositional risk, indexing treatment-related gains, and monitoring the consequences of mental illness, consistent with the aims of the HiTOP framework.


Towards construct validity of relational aggression: An examination of the Children's Social Behavior Scale

Relational aggression-or behavior intended to harm the relationships of its victims-has been the focus of interdisciplinary study across developmental, clinical, personality, and social psychology in the last several decades. One of the primary measures used to assess relational aggression in youth is the Children's Social Behavior Scale (CSBS; Crick & Grotpeter, 1995), but despite its common usage, the construct validity of this measure has not been comprehensively assessed. In the present study, we used a multistage construct validity framework to thoroughly investigate the nature of relational aggression across six community samples totaling 3,102 youth and their caregivers. We used multiple methods to map the reliability, internal or structural validity, and external validity of this scale. Through these analyses, we found that CSBS Relational Aggression demonstrated strong internal consistency, test-retest, and interrater reliability as well as a robust single factor structure and invariance across multiple demographic groups. External validity analyses positioned relational aggression within a theoretically consistent nomological net including psychopathology, personality, and social developmental factors. Contrary to concerns about the validity of self- and parent-reports of relational aggression, both parent- and youth-report forms of the CSBS Relational Aggression scale demonstrated strong reliability and validity. While construct validation has received inadequate attention in the psychological literature to date, through this project, we aimed to demonstrate how this approach may be used to investigate existing measures across psychological research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Three recommendations based on a comparison of the reliability and validity of the predominant models used in research on the empirical structure of psychopathology

The present study compared the primary models used in research on the structure of psychopathology (i.e., correlated factor, higher-order, and bifactor models) in terms of structural validity (model fit and factor reliability), longitudinal measurement invariance, concurrent and prospective predictive validity in relation to important outcomes, and longitudinal consistency in individuals' factor score profiles. Two simpler operationalizations of a general factor of psychopathology were also examined-a single-factor model and a count of diagnoses. Models were estimated based on structured clinical interview diagnoses in two longitudinal waves of nationally representative data from the United States (n = 43,093 and n = 34,653). Models that included narrower factors (fear, distress, and externalizing) were needed to capture the observed multidimensionality of the data. In the correlated factor and higher-order models these narrower factors were reliable, largely invariant over time, had consistent associations with indicators of adaptive functioning, and had moderate stability within individuals over time. By contrast, the fear- and distress-specific factors in the bifactor model did not show good reliability or validity throughout the analyses. Notably, the general factor of psychopathology (p factor) performed similarly well across tests of reliability and validity regardless of whether the higher-order or bifactor model was used; the simplest (single factor) model was also comparable across most tests, with the exception of model fit. Given the limitations of categorical diagnoses, it will be important to repeat these analyses using dimensional measures. We conclude that when aiming to understand the structure and correlates of psychopathology it is important to (a) look beyond model fit indices to choose between different models, (b) examine the reliability of latent variables directly, and (c) be cautious when isolating and interpreting the unique effects of specific psychopathology factors, regardless of which model is used. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Anatomy of a Psychological Theory: Integrating Construct-Validation and Computational-Modeling Methods to Advance Theorizing

Discussions about the replicability of psychological studies have primarily focused on improving research methods and practices, with less attention paid to the role of well-specified theories in facilitating the production of reliable empirical results. The field is currently in need of clearly articulated steps to theory specification and development, particularly regarding frameworks that may generalize across different fields of psychology. Here we focus on two approaches to theory specification and development that are typically associated with distinct research traditions: computational modeling and construct validation. We outline the points of convergence and divergence between them to illuminate the anatomy of a scientific theory in psychology-what a well-specified theory should contain and how it should be interrogated and revised through iterative theory-development processes. We propose how these two approaches can be used in complementary ways to increase the quality of explanations and the precision of predictions offered by psychological theories.

Adolescent Big Five personality and pubertal development: Pubertal hormone concentrations and self-reported pubertal status

In early adolescence, levels of conscientiousness and agreeableness have been found to temporarily decrease, with levels of neuroticism increasing, indicating a dip in personality maturation. It is unknown whether these changes are related to the process of puberty, a major developmental milestone with numerous changes for children. Here, we first replicated the dip in personality maturity in early adolescence (N = 2640, age range 8-18, 51% girls, 65% non-Hispanic white, 21% Hispanic/Latino, 10% African American, 9% other, roughly 33% of families received means-tested public assistance) and tested associations between the Big Five personality dimensions and pubertal development and timing across late childhood and adolescence (n = 1793). Pubertal development was measured using both hormonal assays (DHEA, testosterone, and progesterone) and self-reports of secondary sex characteristics. Of hormonal measures, only higher DHEA concentrations were associated with lower conscientiousness and openness. Nonparametric moderation analyses using LOSEM indicated Complex Age × Sex interactions involving all three hormones. Self-reported pubertal development was associated with lower extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness. More advanced pubertal timing was also related to lower levels of extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. All associations were small. As some evidence was found for small associations between pubertal development and lower levels of conscientiousness and agreeableness, a dip in personality maturation in these personality traits may be partly due to pubertal development in early adolescence. Overall, results did not indicate that pubertal development was the primary explanation of the maturity dip in adolescent personality. Many small influences likely accumulate to explain the dip in personality maturity in early adolescence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Les progrès dans la réalisation de la classification quantitative de la psychopathologie☆

Shortcomings of approaches to classifying psychopathology based on expert consensus have given rise to contemporary efforts to classify psychopathology quantitatively. In this paper, we review progress in achieving a quantitative and empirical classification of psychopathology. A substantial empirical literature indicates that psychopathology is generally more dimensional than categorical. When the discreteness versus continuity of psychopathology is treated as a research question, as opposed to being decided as a matter of tradition, the evidence clearly supports the hypothesis of continuity. In addition, a related body of literature shows how psychopathology dimensions can be arranged in a hierarchy, ranging from very broad "spectrum level" dimensions, to specific and narrow clusters of symptoms. In this way, a quantitative approach solves the "problem of comorbidity" by explicitly modeling patterns of co-occurrence among signs and symptoms within a detailed and variegated hierarchy of dimensional concepts with direct clinical utility. Indeed, extensive evidence pertaining to the dimensional and hierarchical structure of psychopathology has led to the formation of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) Consortium. This is a group of 70 investigators working together to study empirical classification of psychopathology. In this paper, we describe the aims and current foci of the HiTOP Consortium. These aims pertain to continued research on the empirical organization of psychopathology; the connection between personality and psychopathology; the utility of empirically based psychopathology constructs in both research and the clinic; and the development of novel and comprehensive models and corresponding assessment instruments for psychopathology constructs derived from an empirical approach.

Why Has Personality Psychology Played an Outsized Role in the Credibility Revolution?

Personality is not the most popular subfield of psychology. But, in one way or another, personality psychologists have played an outsized role in the ongoing "credibility revolution" in psychology. Not only have individual personality psychologists taken on visible roles in the movement, but our field's practices and norms have now become models for other fields to emulate (or, for those who share Baumeister's (2016, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.02.003) skeptical view of the consequences of increasing rigor, a model for what to avoid). In this article we discuss some unique features of our field that may have placed us in an ideal position to be leaders in this movement. We do so from a subjective perspective, describing our impressions and opinions about possible explanations for personality psychology's disproportionate role in the credibility revolution. We also discuss some ways in which personality psychology remains less-than-optimal, and how we can address these flaws.

Facet-level personality development in the transition to adolescence: Maturity, disruption, and gender differences

The transition to adolescence is marked by enormous change in social, biological, and personality development. Although accumulating evidence has offered insight into the nature of higher-order personality trait development during this period, much less is known about the development of lower-order personality traits, or "facets." The current study used a cohort-sequential longitudinal design to examine domain- and facet-level trajectories for mother-reported personality traits during the early adolescent transition. Personality trait domains and facets were assessed with the Inventory of Child Individual Differences-Short Form (Deal, Halverson, Martin, Victor, & Baker, 2007). Participants were 440 children followed at 4 annual timepoints from middle childhood (M_age = 9.97, SD = 0.81) to early adolescence (M_age = 13.11, SD = 0.84). Results of latent growth curve models showed substantial facet-level personality stability in this period, as well as small to moderate linear change in 13 of 15 facets. Gender differences in change were evident for 9 facets. Overall patterns suggested consistent increases in agreeableness facets with null to small gender differences. Neuroticism and openness to experience facet change was heterogeneous within each domain, but patterns were similar for boys and girls. Extraversion primarily decreased, though the magnitude and direction of change differed between facets and genders. Conscientiousness increased across all facets, but only among girls. These findings overall demonstrate a high degree of developmental consistency in facets within each domain as well as some notable differences. Further, this study contributes to a small and somewhat mixed evidence base for current theories of adolescent personality development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Correction to Moore et al. (2020)

Reports an error in "Criterion validity and relationships between alternative hierarchical dimensional models of general and specific psychopathology" by Tyler M. Moore, Antonia N. Kaczkurkin, E. Leighton Durham, Hee Jung Jeong, Malerie G. McDowell, Randolph M. Dupont, Brooks Applegate, Jennifer L. Tackett, Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez, Omid Kardan, Gaby N. Akcelik, Andrew J. Stier, Monica D. Rosenberg, Donald Hedeker, Marc G. Berman and Benjamin B. Lahey (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Advanced Online Publication, Jul 16, 2020, np). In the article (http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/abn0000601), an acknowledgment is missing from the author note. The missing acknowledgement is included in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2020-50590-001.) Psychopathology can be viewed as a hierarchy of correlated dimensions. Many studies have supported this conceptualization, but they have used alternative statistical models with differing interpretations. In bifactor models, every symptom loads on both the general factor and 1 specific factor (e.g., internalizing), which partitions the total explained variance in each symptom between these orthogonal factors. In second-order models, symptoms load on one of several correlated lower-order factors. These lower-order factors load on a second-order general factor, which is defined by the variance shared by the lower-order factors. Thus, the factors in second-order models are not orthogonal. Choosing between these valid statistical models depends on the hypothesis being tested. Because bifactor models define orthogonal phenotypes with distinct sources of variance, they are optimal for studies of shared and unique associations of the dimensions of psychopathology with external variables putatively relevant to etiology and mechanisms. Concerns have been raised, however, about the reliability of the orthogonal specific factors in bifactor models. We evaluated this concern using parent symptom ratings of 9-10 year olds in the ABCD Study. Psychometric indices indicated that all factors in both bifactor and second-order models exhibited at least adequate construct reliability and estimated replicability. The factors defined in bifactor and second-order models were highly to moderately correlated across models, but have different interpretations. All factors in both models demonstrated significant associations with external criterion variables of theoretical and clinical importance, but the interpretation of such associations in second-order models was ambiguous due to shared variance among factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Criterion validity and relationships between alternative hierarchical dimensional models of general and specific psychopathology

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 129(7) of Journal of Abnormal Psychology (see record 2020-72912-001). In the article (http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/abn0000601), an acknowledgment is missing from the author note. The missing acknowledgement is included in the erratum.] Psychopathology can be viewed as a hierarchy of correlated dimensions. Many studies have supported this conceptualization, but they have used alternative statistical models with differing interpretations. In bifactor models, every symptom loads on both the general factor and 1 specific factor (e.g., internalizing), which partitions the total explained variance in each symptom between these orthogonal factors. In second-order models, symptoms load on one of several correlated lower-order factors. These lower-order factors load on a second-order general factor, which is defined by the variance shared by the lower-order factors. Thus, the factors in second-order models are not orthogonal. Choosing between these valid statistical models depends on the hypothesis being tested. Because bifactor models define orthogonal phenotypes with distinct sources of variance, they are optimal for studies of shared and unique associations of the dimensions of psychopathology with external variables putatively relevant to etiology and mechanisms. Concerns have been raised, however, about the reliability of the orthogonal specific factors in bifactor models. We evaluated this concern using parent symptom ratings of 9-10 year olds in the ABCD Study. Psychometric indices indicated that all factors in both bifactor and second-order models exhibited at least adequate construct reliability and estimated replicability. The factors defined in bifactor and second-order models were highly to moderately correlated across models, but have different interpretations. All factors in both models demonstrated significant associations with external criterion variables of theoretical and clinical importance, but the interpretation of such associations in second-order models was ambiguous due to shared variance among factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Relational Aggression and Narcissistic Traits: How Youth Personality Pathology Informs Aggressive Behavior

Low agreeableness features centrally in personality profiles of Cluster B personality disorder (PD) diagnoses, and it has been associated with relational aggression (RAgg; intentionally damaging others' social relationships). Researchers have hypothesized that RAgg may be a potential developmental precursor for Cluster B PDs. However, a dimensional approach to personality dysfunction is preferable to the categorical system found in the current diagnostic manual. To build a bridge between two disjointed literatures (categorical PDs and RAgg), the aim of this project is to detail how RAgg in youth is situated in the trait space represented by disagreeableness in a dimensional model of personality pathology. Caregivers of 911 youth (ages 6-18) reported on youth's RAgg and disagreeableness. We found that RAgg was most strongly related to three facets: Narcissistic traits, Hyperexpressive traits, and Dominance-Egocentrism traits. Overall, these findings provide support for RAgg as an early manifestation of personality pathology, particularly for narcissistic traits.

The p factor and dimensional structural models of youth personality pathology and psychopathology

The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) is a developing dimensional nosology which provides a joint framework for study of psychopathology and personality pathology. Dimensional structural models of psychopathology often include an overarching dimension of psychopathology (p factor) representing covariation among all forms of psychopathology. The p factor can be recovered in youth and adult samples, and has been found to relate to personality traits in similar ways in youth and adults. However, placement of personality pathology in an overarching psychopathology structure has almost exclusively been investigated in adults. We review evidence for the relationships between normal-range and pathological personality traits and psychopathology in adults and youth, ultimately making the case for study of a joint personality - psychopathology framework in youth.

Genetic Associations Between Executive Functions and a General Factor of Psychopathology

OBJECTIVE

Symptoms of psychopathology covary across diagnostic boundaries, and a family history of elevated symptoms for a single psychiatric disorder places an individual at heightened risk for a broad range of other psychiatric disorders. Both twin-based and genome-wide molecular methods indicate a strong genetic basis for the familial aggregation of psychiatric disease. This has led researchers to prioritize the search for highly heritable childhood risk factors for transdiagnostic psychopathology. Cognitive abilities that involve the selective control and regulation of attention, known as executive functions (EFs), are a promising set of risk factors.

METHOD

In a population-based sample of child and adolescent twins (n = 1,913, mean age = 13.1 years), we examined genetic overlap between both EFs and general intelligence (g) and a transdiagnostic dimension of vulnerability to psychopathology, comprising symptoms of anxiety, depression, neuroticism, aggression, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, hyperactivity, and inattention. Psychopathology symptoms in children were rated by children and their parents.

RESULTS

Latent factors representing general EF and g were highly heritable (h2 = 86%-92%), and genetic influences on both sets of cognitive abilities were robustly correlated with transdiagnostic genetic influences on psychopathology symptoms (genetic r values ranged from -0.20 to -0.38).

CONCLUSION

General EF and g robustly index genetic risk for transdiagnostic symptoms of psychopathology in childhood. Delineating the developmental and neurobiological mechanisms underlying observed associations between cognitive abilities and psychopathology remains a priority for ongoing research.

Irritability as a Transdiagnostic Vulnerability Trait:Current Issues and Future Directions

In recent years, irritability has received increasing attention among mental health professionals given its transdiagnostic associations with diverse forms of psychopathology. In contrast to other emotional states and traits, however, literature addressing associations between irritability and related temperament and personality constructs is limited. In addition, those who study irritability have diverse perspectives on its neurobiological substrates. In this comment, we situate irritability in the literatures on child temperament and adult personality, and describe a model in which irritability derives from low tonic dopamine (DA) levels and low phasic DA reactivity in subcortical neural structures implicated in appetitive responding. We note that different findings often emerge in neuroimaging studies when irritability is assessed in circumscribed diagnostic groups versus representative samples. We conclude with directions for future research, and propose that more authors use hierarchical Bayesian modeling, which captures functional dependencies between irritability and other dispositional traits (e.g., trait anxiety) that standard regression models are insensitive too. Treatment implications are also considered.

Redefining phenotypes to advance psychiatric genetics: Implications from hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology

Genetic discovery in psychiatry and clinical psychology is hindered by suboptimal phenotypic definitions. We argue that the hierarchical, dimensional, and data-driven classification system proposed by the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) consortium provides a more effective approach to identifying genes that underlie mental disorders, and to studying psychiatric etiology, than current diagnostic categories. Specifically, genes are expected to operate at different levels of the HiTOP hierarchy, with some highly pleiotropic genes influencing higher order psychopathology (e.g., the general factor), whereas other genes conferring more specific risk for individual spectra (e.g., internalizing), subfactors (e.g., fear disorders), or narrow symptoms (e.g., mood instability). We propose that the HiTOP model aligns well with the current understanding of the higher order genetic structure of psychopathology that has emerged from a large body of family and twin studies. We also discuss the convergence between the HiTOP model and findings from recent molecular studies of psychopathology indicating broad genetic pleiotropy, such as cross-disorder SNP-based shared genetic covariance and polygenic risk scores, and we highlight molecular genetic studies that have successfully redefined phenotypes to enhance precision and statistical power. Finally, we suggest how to integrate a HiTOP approach into future molecular genetic research, including quantitative and hierarchical assessment tools for future data-collection and recommendations concerning phenotypic analyses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

An N-pact factor for clinical psychological research

Although an emphasis on adequate sample size and statistical power has a long history in clinical psychological science (Cohen, 1992), increased attention to the replicability of scientific findings has renewed focus on the importance of statistical power (Bakker, van Dijk, & Wicherts, 2012). These recent efforts have not yet circled back to modern clinical psychological research, despite the importance of sample size and power in producing a credible body of evidence. As one step in this process of scientific self-examination, the present study estimated an N-pact Factor (the statistical power of published empirical studies to detect typical effect sizes; Fraley & Vazire, 2014) in 2 leading clinical journals (the Journal of Abnormal Psychology [JAP] and the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology [JCCP]) for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015. Study sample size, as one proxy for statistical power, is a useful focus because it allows comparisons with other subfields and may highlight some of the core methodological differences between clinical and other areas. We found that, across all years examined, the average median sample size in clinical research was 179 participants (175 for JAP and 182 for JCCP). The power to detect a small to medium effect size of .20 is just below 80% for both journals. Although the clinical N-pact factor was higher than that estimated for social psychology, the statistical power in clinical journals is still limited to detect many effects of interest to clinical psychologists, with little evidence of improvement in sample sizes over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Kids becoming less alike: A behavioral genetic analysis of developmental increases in personality variance from childhood to adolescence

Recent work in personality development has indicated that the magnitude of individual differences in personality increases over child development. Do such patterns reflect the differentiation of individuals by genotype, an increasing influence of environmental factors, or some (interactive) combination of the two? Using a population-based sample of over 2,500 twins and multiples from the Texas Twin Project, we estimated age trends in the variances in self- and parent-reported measures of the Big Five personality traits between Ages 8 and 18 years. We then estimated age trends in the genetic and environmental components of variance in each measure. Individual differences in personality increased in magnitude from childhood through mid-adolescence. This pattern emerged using both children's self-reports and ratings provided by their parents, and was primarily attributable to increases in the magnitude of genetic influences. Most of the increasing genetic variance appeared nonadditive, pointing to the possibility that developmental processes tend to make genetically similar individuals disproportionately more alike in their personality traits over time. These findings could reflect increasing or accumulating effects of trait-by-trait interactions; person-by-environment transactions, whereby genetically similar people are disproportionally likely to experience similar environments; the activation of dominant genes across developmental transitions (e.g., puberty); or some combination of these three processes, among other factors. Theories of personality development will need to accommodate these descriptive findings, and longitudinal, genetically informed designs are needed to test some of the specific hypotheses springing from this study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Introduction to the special section on increasing replicability, transparency, and openness in clinical psychology

As psychological research comes under increasing fire for the crisis of replicability, attention has turned to methods and practices that facilitate (or hinder) a more replicable and veridical body of empirical evidence. These trends have focused on open science initiatives, including an emphasis on replication, transparency, and data sharing. Despite this broader movement in psychology, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists have been largely absent from the broader conversation on documenting the extent of existing problems as well as generating solutions to problematic methods and practices in our area (Tackett et al., 2017). The goal of the current special section was to bring together psychopathology researchers to explore these and related areas as they pertain to the types of research conducted in clinical psychology and allied disciplines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Are fit indices used to test psychopathology structure biased? A simulation study

Structural models of psychopathology provide dimensional alternatives to traditional categorical classification systems. Competing models, such as the bifactor and correlated factors models, are typically compared via statistical indices to assess how well each model fits the same data. However, simulation studies have found evidence for probifactor fit index bias in several psychological research domains. The present study sought to extend this research to models of psychopathology, wherein the bifactor model has received much attention, but its susceptibility to bias is not well characterized. We used Monte Carlo simulations to examine how various model misspecifications produced fit index bias for 2 commonly used estimators, WLSMV and MLR. We simulated binary indicators to represent psychiatric diagnoses and positively skewed continuous indicators to represent symptom counts. Across combinations of estimators, indicator distributions, and misspecifications, complex patterns of bias emerged, with fit indices more often than not failing to correctly identify the correlated factors model as the data-generating model. No fit index emerged as reliably unbiased across all misspecification scenarios. Although, tests of model equivalence indicated that in one instance fit indices were not biased-they favored the bifactor model, albeit not unfairly. Overall, results suggest that comparisons of bifactor models to alternatives using fit indices may be misleading and call into question the evidentiary meaning of previous studies that identified the bifactor model as superior based on fit. We highlight the importance of comparing models based on substantive interpretability and their utility for addressing study aims, the methodological significance of model equivalence, as well as the need for implementation of statistical metrics that evaluate model quality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Achievement Goal Orientations Shift with Age

Students engage in learning activities with different achievement goal orientations. Some students pursue learning for learning sake (i.e. mastery goal orientation), some are driven by gaining favorable judgement of their performance (i.e. performance approach goal orientation), and others focus on avoiding negative judgement (i.e. performance avoidance goal orientation). These goal orientations are linked with academic achievement, and troublingly, students report decreasing levels of goal orientations across the school years. However, little is known concerning the mechanisms that drive this decline. In a large (N = 891 twin pairs) cross-sectional genetically informative sample (age = 8 to 22 years), we found that older students reported lower goal orientations. Then, we identified shifts in the magnitude of genetic and environmental variance in each goal orientation. For example, variance in mastery goal orientation was primarily associated with environmental factors during the elementary school years. As students entered high school, genetic influences increased, replacing shared environmental influences. Finally, we situated these findings in the larger nomological network by testing associations with psychological constructs (e.g. personality and cognitive ability) and contextual variables (e.g. parents, schools, and peers). The development of academic motivation is complex with many interconnecting factors that appear to shift with age.

A Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology Can Transform Mental Health Research

For more than a century, research on psychopathology has focused on categorical diagnoses. Although this work has produced major discoveries, growing evidence points to the superiority of a dimensional approach to the science of mental illness. Here we outline one such dimensional system-the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP)-that is based on empirical patterns of co-occurrence among psychological symptoms. We highlight key ways in which this framework can advance mental-health research, and we provide some heuristics for using HiTOP to test theories of psychopathology. We then review emerging evidence that supports the value of a hierarchical, dimensional model of mental illness across diverse research areas in psychological science. These new data suggest that the HiTOP system has the potential to accelerate and improve research on mental-health problems as well as efforts to more effectively assess, prevent, and treat mental illness.

A correlated traits, correlated methods model for thin-slice child personality assessment

Recent research has illustrated the utility and accuracy of a thin-slice (TS) approach to child personality assessment, whereby unacquainted observers provide personality ratings of children after exposure to brief behavioral episodes. The current study sought to expand on this approach by exploring formal multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) models for child TS data comprising ratings from a comprehensive set of TS situations. Results using data from a sample of 326 community children 9-10 years of age indicated that a correlated traits, correlated methods (CTCM) model can be used to represent individual differences in children's behavior as manifest across different situations. Indicator variables derived from a CTCM differentially correlated with traditional parental ratings of behavior, moreover, and provide predictive and incremental validity regarding child competencies and behavior. Results illustrate the utility of a TS approach in the assessment of childhood personality and inform understanding of issues encountered in applying different MTMM models to these types of empirical data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessing meaningful within-person variability in Likert-scale rated personality descriptions: An IRT tree approach

Personality researchers and clinical psychologists have long been interested in within-person variability in a given personality trait. Two critical methodological challenges that stymie current research on within-person variability are separating meaningful within-person variability from (a) true differences in trait level; and (b) careless responding (or person unreliability). To partly avoid these issues, personality researchers commonly only study within-person variability in personality states over time using the standard deviation (SD) across repeated measurements of the same items (typically across days)-a relatively resource-intensive approach. In this article, we detail an approach that allows researchers to measure another type of within-person variability. The described approach utilizes item-response theory (IRT) on the basis of Böckenholt's (2012) three-process model, and extracts a meaningful variability score from Likert-ratings of personality descriptions that is distinct from directional (trait) responding. Two studies (N = 577; N = 120-235) suggest that IRT variability generalizes across traits, has high split-half reliability, is not highly correlated with established indices of IRT person unreliability for directional trait responding, and correlates with within-person SDs from personality inventories and within-person SDs in a diary study with repeated measurements across days 20 months later. The implications and usefulness of IRT variability from personality descriptions as a conceptually clarified, efficient, and feasible assessment of within-person variability in personality ratings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Callous-Unemotional Traits Moderate Genetic and Environmental Influences on Rule-Breaking and Aggression: Evidence for Gene × Trait Interaction

Previous behavioral genetic research in children has found that conduct problems in the presence of high CU traits are more heritable than conduct problems in the presence of low CU traits -- a gene × trait interaction. The current study replicates and extends this finding using a sample of adolescent twins from the Texas Twin Project, who were assessed for rule-breaking and aggression. We find evidence that genetic influences on CU traits contribute to genetic liability for both rule-breaking and aggressive behavior. CU traits moderate genetic influences on aggressive behavior, such that the heritability of aggression is higher among youth with high levels of CU traits. However, we do not find evidence that CU traits moderate genetic influences on rule-breaking behavior. The continuum of callous-unemotionality and the aggression versus rule-breaking distinction continues to be meaningful and intersecting methods for characterizing heterogeneity in the etiology of antisocial behavior.

Psychology's Replication Crisis and Clinical Psychological Science

Despite psychological scientists' increasing interest in replicability, open science, research transparency, and the improvement of methods and practices, the clinical psychology community has been slow to engage. This has been shifting more recently, and with this review, we hope to facilitate this emerging dialogue. We begin by examining some potential areas of weakness in clinical psychology in terms of methods, practices, and evidentiary base. We then discuss a select overview of solutions, tools, and current concerns of the reform movement from a clinical psychological science perspective. We examine areas of clinical science expertise (e.g., implementation science) that should be leveraged to inform open science and reform efforts. Finally, we reiterate the call to clinical psychologists to increase their efforts toward reform that can further improve the credibility of clinical psychological science.

Decoupling Personality and Acute Psychiatric Symptoms in a Depressed Sample and a Community Sample

The association between depression and neuroticism is complex, but due to the difficulty in assessing neuroticism during mood episodes, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain poorly understood. In this study, we sought to decompose neuroticism into finer-grained elements that were uncorrelated with psychiatric symptoms and to examine the incremental validity of those elements in explaining deficits in interpersonal functioning. A bifactor model with one general factor and six specific factors fit the data well in both a depressed (N=807) and a community (N=1,284) sample, and the specific factors were relatively independent of acute symptoms. Moreover, two specific factors (Angry Hostility and Self-Consciousness) accounted for incremental variance in interpersonal functioning problems in the community sample and in a subgroup of depressed participants. The results demonstrate that neuroticism can be decomposed into components that are distinct from symptoms and that are incrementally associated with deficits in interpersonal functioning.

Progress in achieving quantitative classification of psychopathology

Shortcomings of approaches to classifying psychopathology based on expert consensus have given rise to contemporary efforts to classify psychopathology quantitatively. In this paper, we review progress in achieving a quantitative and empirical classification of psychopathology. A substantial empirical literature indicates that psychopathology is generally more dimensional than categorical. When the discreteness versus continuity of psychopathology is treated as a research question, as opposed to being decided as a matter of tradition, the evidence clearly supports the hypothesis of continuity. In addition, a related body of literature shows how psychopathology dimensions can be arranged in a hierarchy, ranging from very broad "spectrum level" dimensions, to specific and narrow clusters of symptoms. In this way, a quantitative approach solves the "problem of comorbidity" by explicitly modeling patterns of co-occurrence among signs and symptoms within a detailed and variegated hierarchy of dimensional concepts with direct clinical utility. Indeed, extensive evidence pertaining to the dimensional and hierarchical structure of psychopathology has led to the formation of the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) Consortium. This is a group of 70 investigators working together to study empirical classification of psychopathology. In this paper, we describe the aims and current foci of the HiTOP Consortium. These aims pertain to continued research on the empirical organization of psychopathology; the connection between personality and psychopathology; the utility of empirically based psychopathology constructs in both research and the clinic; and the development of novel and comprehensive models and corresponding assessment instruments for psychopathology constructs derived from an empirical approach.

Genetic and environmental influences on internalizing psychopathology across age and pubertal development

Symptoms of anxiety and depression are commonly comorbid and partially share a genetic etiology. Mean levels of anxiety and depression increase over the transition to adolescence, particularly in girls, suggesting a possible role of pubertal development in the activation of underlying genetic risks. The current study examined how genetic and environmental influences on anxiety and depression differed by chronological age and pubertal status. We analyzed composite scores from child self-reports and parent informant-reports of internalizing symptomology in a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 1,913 individual twins from 1,006 pairs (ages 8-20 years) from the Texas Twin Project. Biometric models tested age and pubertal status as moderators of genetic and environmental influences shared between and specific to anxiety and depression to determine whether etiology of internalizing symptomology differs across development as a function of age or puberty. Genetic influences did not increase as a function of age or puberty, but instead shared environmental effects decreased with age. In an exploratory model that considered the moderators simultaneously, developmental differences in etiology were reflected in genetic and environmental effects unique to depression. Results suggest that genetic variance in internalizing problems is relatively constant during adolescence, with environmental influences more varied across development. (PsycINFO Database Record

Genetic and Environmental Associations Between Child Personality and Parenting

Parenting is often conceptualized in terms of its effects on offspring. However, children may also play an active role in influencing the parenting they receive. Simple correlations between parenting and child outcomes may be due to parent-to-child causation, child-to-parent causation, or some combination of the two. We use a multi-rater, genetically informative, large sample (n = 1411 twin sets) to gain traction on this issue as it relates to parental warmth and stress in the context of child Big Five personality. Considerable variance in parental warmth (27%) and stress (45%) was attributable to child genetic influences on parenting. Incorporating child Big Five personality into the model explained roughly half of this variance. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that parents mold their parenting in response to their child's personality. Residual heritability of parenting is likely due to child characteristics beyond the Big Five.