Personality Trait Change Across Late Childhood to Young Adulthood: Evidence for Nonlinearity and Sex Differences in Change

We explored patterns of self‐reported personality trait change across late childhood through young adulthood in a sample assessed up to four times on the lower order facets of Positive Emotionality, Negative Emotionality (NEM), and Constraint (CON). Multilevel modelling analyses were used to describe both group‐ and individual‐level change trajectories across this time span. There was evidence for nonlinear age‐related change in most traits, and substantial individual differences in change for all traits. Gender differences were detected in the change trajectories for several facets of NEM and CON. Findings add to the literature on personality development by demonstrating robust nonlinear change in several traits across late childhood to young adulthood, as well as deviations from normative patterns of maturation at the earliest ages. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Personality Psychology     

Age Differences Across Adulthood in Interpretations of Situations and Situation–Behaviour Contingencies for Big Five States

In the last two decades, a burgeoning literature has begun to clarify the processes underlying personality traits and momentary trait‐relevant behaviour. However, such work has almost exclusively investigated these questions in young adults. During the same period, much has been learned about adult personality trait development but with scant attention to the momentary processes that contribute to development. The current work connects these two topics, testing developmental questions about adult age differences and thus examining how age matters to personality processes. The study examines how four important situation characteristics are experienced in everyday life and how situations covary with Big Five trait‐relevant behaviour (i.e. situation–behaviour contingencies). Two samples were collected (total N = 316), each assessing three age groups: young, middle‐aged, and older adults. Using experience sampling method, participants completed reports four or five times per day across a representative period of daily life. Results suggested age differences in how situations are experienced on average, in the variability around these average situation experiences, and in situation–behaviour contingencies. The results therefore highlight that, across adulthood, age groups experience chronically different situations, differ in how much the situations they experience vary moment to moment, and differ in how much situation experience predicts their enactment of traits. © 2019 European Association of Personality Psychology     

Marital Name Changing Attitudes and Plans of College Students: Comparing Change Over Time and Across Regions

This study examines time period and regional effects on U.S. college students’ attitudes and plans regarding marital naming. Data were gathered at a Midwestern college in 1990 and 2006 and at an Eastern university in 2006 (N?=?867). No time period effect was identified for marital name plans in the Midwest samples. Women were neither more nor less likely to plan to retain their birth name in 1990 as compared to 2006. A time period effect was found for attitudes: Midwest women in 2006 were more likely to say a woman was more committed to the marriage if she took her husband’s last name as compared to Midwest women in 1990. This indicates that women in the Midwest may have become more conservative over time. We also found regional differences: women in the East were significantly more likely than women in the Midwest to plan to keep their birth surname upon marriage. Findings suggest a trend toward more conservative attitudes over time and location although plans, perhaps due to the rareness of maintaining a birth surname upon marriage, have not changed.     

Examining the Interrelation Among Change Processes: Decentering and Anticipatory Processing Across Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder

As evidence grows supporting certain mechanisms of change in psychological treatments and we improve statistical approaches to measuring them, it is important that we also explore how mechanisms and processes are related to each other, and how they together affect treatment outcomes. To answer these questions about interrelating processes and mechanisms, we need to take advantage of frequent assessment and modeling techniques that allow for an examination of the influence of one mechanism on another over time. Within cognitive behavioral therapy, studies have shown support for both decentering, the ability to observe thoughts and feelings as objective events in the mind, and anticipatory processing, the repetitive thinking about upcoming social situations, as potentially related mechanisms of change. Therefore, the current study examined weekly ratings of decentering and a single-item anticipatory processing question to examine the interrelation among these change mechanisms in 59 individuals who received a 12-weeks of Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy for social anxiety disorder. Overall, these results found that both anticipatory processing and decentering changed over the course therapy for clients. Change in both anticipatory processing and decentering was related to outcome. The bivariate latent difference score analysis showed that anticipatory processing was a leading indicator of change in decentering, but not the reverse, indicating that change in anticipatory processing is leading to change in decentering. It may be that with the focus on cognitive reappraisal in this treatment, that reducing anticipatory processing is freeing up the cognitive resources for decentering to occur.     

Outcomes in a System of Care for Youths with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: An Examination of Differential Change Across Clinical Profiles

We assessed the utility of an empirically-derived classification system for youths with emotional and behavioral disorders in a system of care with a strong representation of juvenile delinquents. Eighty-seven youths served in a system of care were categorized by variables related to past history, current behavioral functioning, and current psychological functioning into four clinical clusters. We evaluated preliminary clinical outcomes after six months of interagency involvement for youths within each cluster and across the four clusters. Results indicated that youths in different clusters improved significantly in need-specific areas. Trends in our data indicated differential change in clinical outcomes across clusters. We discuss our findings within the context of emerging outcomes of youths involved in comprehensive community-based programs and consider implications for outcome research, treatment of juvenile delinquents, and mental health policy.     

Interpreting Behavioral Genetic Results: Suggestions for Counselors and Clients

Treatment strategies often are premised on modifying either environmental factors or clients' interpretations of the interpersonal environment, which are assumed to be causing problem behaviors or emotional distress. A more complete analysis would take into account the role played by genetic transmission in an individual's personality, for example, intraversion- extraversion and sense of personal control, and in the occurrence of psychopathological disorders, such as depression. When developing interventions, both counselors and clients may be helped by behavioral genetic information (a) indicating the heritability of propensities or disorders as well as (b) confirming the importance of environmental influences that hold out the possibility of change.     

Social Identity Change During an Intergroup Merger: The Role of Status,Similarity, and Identity Threat

Conducted during the merger between two hospitals, this longitudinal study (N = 149) revealed that at both Time 1 (i.e., questionnaire completed 12 months prior to the merger) and Time 2 (completed 1 year after the merger had been implemented), employees from the low-status premerger organization generally reported lower adjustment to the merger. Whereas Time 2 identity threat predicted lower and decreased identification with the new merged organization and perceptions of a common in group identity, perceived similarities between the merging organizations at Time 2 predicted higher identification with the new merged organization and higher perceptions of a common in group identity.     

Across the Spectrum: Case Studies in Genetic Counseling for Breast and Ovarian Cancer

We present three vignettes based on participants counseled as part of a clinical research program. These include a young unaffected woman at risk for a familial mutation, a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient, and a woman with recurrent ovarian cancer. Through the use of detailed vignettes, multifaceted issues that arise in cancer genetic counseling are highlighted.     

A Measurement Model of Media Parenting: Differences Across Parent and Child Reports and Youth Age and Sex

For youth raised in the Digital Age, online risks such as cyberbullying and sexting have become increasingly problematic. Since digital media is primarily consumed at home, parents play an important role in mitigating these risks; parents can teach children about online dangers, regulate the amount of time spent online, and, to some extent, curate the online content children see. The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of a four-factor media parenting measurement model introduced by Livingstone et al. (2011) across self-reports of a U.S. sample of parents (M_age?=?38.5) and children (ages 10–14; M_age?=?11.8). To identify meaningful group differences, latent mean comparisons were evaluated across youth age and gender. Confirmatory Factor Analysis results provided good fit to the data for the four-factor media parenting model based on both parent [χ2(201, n?=?306)?=?384.407; RMSEA_{(.046—.063)}?=?.055; CFI?=?.958; TLI/NNFI?=?.951; SRMR?=?.050] and child report [χ2(203, n?=?306)?=?378.033; RMSEA_(.045-.061)?=?.053; CFI?=?.942; TLI/NNFI?=?.934; SRMR?=?.060]. The final latent parenting factors included: Active Mediation, Monitoring, Technology Control, and Restrictive Mediation. Latent mean comparisons revealed that parents of girls reported higher levels of Monitoring than parents of boys, whereas girls reported higher levels of parental Restriction than boys. Similarly, older children and their parents reported lower Restriction than younger children and their parents. Overall, latent mean differences identified between media parenting domains may be important for youth outcomes and provide support for their inclusion as distinct factors in predictive models.

     

Helper-Sufferer Similarity and a Specific Request for Help: Bystander Intervention During a Peace Demonstration

Eighty randomly selected male participants in the April 1971 pcace demonstration in Washington, D.C. were approached by a young women E v ho asked them to help her friend who was feeling ill. The "friend" was a young male E , in either conventional or "hip" clothing, who was displaying either a "Support Nixon" or a "Dump Nixon" sign. The dependent variable was a 5-point ordinal scale of cooperation with a series of specific requests, which ranged from going over to the distressed E to providing bus fare and help for both Es to leave the area and go home. All 80 Ss went to the E and 79 helped to some extent. There was more helping behavior in the morning than in the afternoon, when the program of activities had intensified; with Ss who were tested in the afternoon, the E displaying a "Support Nixon" sign attracted less helping behavior than the "Dump Nixon" condition. The dress manipulation (implicit attitudinal similarity) had no effect.     

Trajectories of Symptom Reduction and Engagement During Treatment for Childhood Behavior Disorders: Differences Across Settings

In this study, we examined trajectories of symptom reduction and family engagement during the modular treatment phase of a clinical trial for early-onset disruptive behavior disorders that was applied either in community settings or a clinic. Participants (N = 139) were 6–11 year-old children with diagnoses of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or Conduct Disorder (CD). Symptoms of ODD/CD and level of engagement were assessed at every session during the course of treatment. Overall, symptom reduction was characterized by a gradual decline in symptoms over the first 11 sessions followed by a flatter slope beginning with session 12. Clinic participants evidenced a greater decline in symptoms after session 11 compared to participants in community settings. Overall, engagement remained stable during the course of treatment. However, clinic participants had higher levels of engagement throughout treatment compared to participants in the community settings. These setting differences in level of engagement did not account for the differences in trajectories of symptom reduction across the treatment settings.     

亲社会行为倾向的年龄差异:共情关怀和人际信任的链式中介效应

全球老龄化浪潮正在来临,亲社会行为倾向的年龄差异受到广泛关注。基于第六次世界价值观调查数据集,运用39887个全球成年样本对全球人口亲社会行为倾向的年龄差异进行检验,并探究年龄通过共情关怀和人际信任影响亲社会行为的中介机制。结果表明:全球范围内,年龄显著正向影响亲社会行为倾向,共情关怀不存在显著的年龄差异,人际信任在年龄和亲社会行为倾向之间起显著的中介效应。研究结果对考察亲社会行为倾向的年龄差异及其作用机制具有重要理论价值和实践意义。     

Strange Affinities in the Search for Personalized Health: New Age Practices and Genetic Testing

A prominent focus of New Age beliefs and practices has always been health and healing—including the use of holistic healing, power crystals, homeopathy, and complementary and alternative medicine. Given its association with modern science and medicine, genetic testing would seem to run counter to New Age alternative medical practices. On the other hand, the use of at-home genetic health tests and the use of such New Age alternative medical practices could both be motivated by a desire for personalized healthcare. Using data generated from a survey fielded on a probability sample of U.S. adults, we examine associations between individuals’ use of at-home genetic health tests and their use of power crystals and acupuncture or other homeopathic medicine. Logistic regression models find that those who use power crystals or homeopathic medicine have significantly greater odds of having used an at-home genetic health test. We discuss the implications of these findings for our understanding of the direct-to-consumer genetic testing market and the relationship between science, religion, and spirituality more broadly.     

Getting to Know Me: Social Role Experiences and Age Differences in Self‐Concept Clarity During Adulthood

ABSTRACT The current research had 2 aims: (1) to determine the cross‐sectional age differences in self‐concept clarity during adulthood and (2) to examine the importance of social role experiences for age differences in self‐concept clarity. These aims were addressed in 2 large samples of adults ranging in age from 18 to 94 years. In both studies, self‐concept clarity had a curvilinear relation to age such that self‐concept clarity was positively related to age from young adulthood through middle age and negatively related to age in older adulthood. This relationship was moderated by annual income and community investment. In addition, annual income and health‐related social role limitations mediated age differences in self‐concept clarity. Findings are discussed in terms of modern theories of identity development.     

Passive‐Submissive and Active‐Emotional Trait Dependency: Evidence for a Two‐Factor Model

ABSTRACT Dependency plays an important role in both normal and abnormal personality, but the construct remains loosely defined, both in clinical practice and the research literature. Moreover, although a number of measures purport to measure trait dependency, little agreement exists as to the structure of dependency within or across these instruments. Furthermore, what constitutes the low end of trait dependency remains unclear. Five hundred nine undergraduates completed a battery of 14 dependency scales and subscales, a subset of whom (n=322) also completed a broad measure of personality pathology (SNAP‐2). Exploratory factor analysis of the dependency measures yielded two correlated factors—Passive‐Submissive and Active‐Emotional dependency—as well as a third, unrelated factor, Detachment/Autonomy, all with differential correlates to the pathological personality traits of the SNAP‐2. Taken together, these data suggest a clear, 2‐factor model for trait dependency that is distinct from detachment/autonomy.     

Group Therapy for Latency Age Black Males: Unplanned Interventions,Setting, and Racial Transferences as Catalysts for Change

This paper focuses on the special problems and processes encountered in organizing and running a group therapy program for black, latency age, male children within an urban school setting. The group chosen for presentation consisted of five boys (average age 11.8 years, range 11–13) and was run by two white clinical psychology interns (a male and female).

In the course of the group several important issues emerged which acted as catalysts for change. These included unplanned interventions, setting effects, cotherapy issues, and racial transferences. The findings and follow-up suggested that a modified expressive group psychotherapy approach can be successful in treating inner city black children.     

Common Heritable Effects Underpin Concerns Over Norm Maintenance and In‐Group Favoritism: Evidence From Genetic Analyses of Right‐Wing Authoritarianism and Traditionalism

Research has shown that in‐group favoritism is associated with concerns over the maintenance of social norms. Here we present two studies examining whether genetic factors underpin this association. A classical twin design was used to decompose phenotypic variance into genetic and environmental components in two studies. Study 1 used 812 pairs of adult U.S. twins from the nationally representative MIDUS II sample. Study 2 used 707 pairs of middle‐age twins from the Minnesota Twin Registry. In‐group favoritism was measured with scales tapping preferences for in‐group (vs. out‐group) individuals; norm concerns were measured with the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire–Traditionalism (Study 1) and Right‐Wing Authoritarianism (RWA; Study 2) scales. In Study 1, heritable effects underlying traditionalism were moderately (c. 35%) overlapping with the genetic variance underpinning in‐group favoritism. In Study 2, heritable influences on RWA were entirely shared with the heritable effects on in‐group favoritism. Moreover, we observed that Big Five Openness shared common genetic links to both RWA and in‐group favoritism. These results suggest that, at the genetic level, in‐group favoritism is linked with a system related to concern over normative social practices, which is, in turn, partially associated with trait Openness.     

Implementing Housing First Across Sites and Over Time: Later Fidelity and Implementation Evaluation of a Pan-Canadian Multi-site Housing First Program for Homeless People with Mental Illness

This article examines later fidelity and implementation of a five‐site pan‐Canadian Housing First research demonstration project. The average fidelity score across five Housing First domains and 10 programs was high in the first year of operation (3.47/4) and higher in the third year of operation (3.62/4). Qualitative interviews (36 key informant interviews and 17 focus groups) revealed that staff expertise, partnerships with other services, and leadership facilitated implementation, while staff turnover, rehousing participants, participant isolation, and limited vocational/educational supports impeded implementation. The findings shed light on important implementation “drivers” at the staff, program, and community levels.     

Exploring the Interplay of Trait Self‐Control and Ego Depletion: Empirical Evidence for Ironic Effects

Trait self‐control (TSC) has been conceptualized as a general and abstract ability to exert self‐regulation across multiple domains that has mostly beneficial effects. However, its relationship to situational depletion of self‐regulatory resources has received little attention. We systematically explore the interplay of trait and situational self‐control in two studies (total N = 264). In contrast with a positive view of TSC, the results show greater ego depletion effects for high (vs. low) self‐control abilities across such diverse domains as candy consumption (Study 1), risk‐taking behaviour (Study 2) and achievement motivation (Study 2). It is proposed that these ironic effects are attributable to high‐TSC individuals' less frequent active inhibition of impulses in everyday life and their resulting lack of experience in resisting acute temptations. A third study (N> = 358) corroborated this general reasoning by showing that TSC is indeed associated with less frequent impulse inhibition in daily routines. Our data point to a downside of dispositional self‐control in ego depletion paradigms. Other explanations and potential future avenues for resolving inconsistent findings across the literature are discussed. Copyright © 2013 European Association of Personality Psychology     

A Systematic Review of Mass Media Campaigns for Suicide Prevention: Understanding Their Efficacy and the Mechanisms Needed for Successful Behavioral and Literacy Change

Mass media campaigns are increasingly seen as an important part of suicide prevention; however, despite their popularity, their efficacy is not well understood. The current review aimed to address key knowledge gaps regarding how mass media campaigns can be optimized to prevent suicide, by looking at their global efficacy, and mechanisms related to successful outcomes. A systematic review of the international literature examined studies which evaluated mass media campaigns targeted at suicide prevention, where suicide behaviors (mortality, attempts) or suicide literacy (knowledge, attitudes, help‐seeking) was identified as a primary outcome. Thirteen articles describing 12 unique campaigns met eligibility criteria. For behavioral outcomes, mass media campaigns appear to be most effective when delivered as part of a multicomponent suicide prevention strategy, while “standalone campaigns” were modestly useful for increasing suicide literacy. Level of exposure, repeat exposure, and community engagement appeared to be fundamental to the success of these campaigns; however, these constructs were poorly adhered to in the development and implementation of campaigns. Overall, the mixed quality of the included studies highlights a need for increased quantity, consistency, and quality of evaluations to advance the evidence base.