The burden of disease in personality disorders: diagnosis-specific quality of life

A generic quality of life measure was used to investigate the burden of disease in a large sample of patients with personality disorders. The 1,708 subjects included in this study were recruited from six different mental health care institutes in the Netherlands. The burden of disease was measured using the EuroQol EQ-5D. Personality disorders were diagnosed using the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV). The mean EQ-5D index value was 0.56. Primarily the total number of personality disorder diagnoses rather than the specific type determined the quality of life. Notably borderline personality disorder was not associated with the highest burden. The findings indicate that patients with personality disorders experience a high burden of disease, comparable to that of severe somatic illnesses. The results call into question the primary focus in literature on borderline personality disorder. The current study yields a strong argument in favor of reimbursing (effective) treatments for this patient population.     

Morningness-eveningness and health-related quality of life among adolescents

Accumulating evidence suggests that evening-type adolescents are exposed to a number of determinants that might have a negative impact on their health condition. Given that few studies have investigated the association between chronotype and quality of life measures in large samples of adolescents, the aim of this study was to assess the relationship between morningness-eveningness and health-related quality of life among 1600 adolescents (aged 12-16 years). Adolescents completed the Ve?u et Santé Per?ue de L'adolescent (VSP-A) and the Morningness-Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC). Girls and older adolescents reported worse health indicators and were more evening oriented. Evening-type adolescents obtained lower scores on vitality, physical and psychological well-being, body image, relations with parents, relations with teachers, school work and global health scale.     

Personality judgment and personality pathology: self-other agreement in adolescents with conduct disorder

We examine two issues linking personality pathology and judgment of traits within the Five-Factor Model of personality. We hypothesize that pathology moderates self-other agreement--"target" participants with pathology should be less judgable than participants without pathology. In addition, we hypothesize that pathology could partially produce agreement across a variety of traits, particularly those traits fundamental to the pathology. In an adolescent sample including a group with Conduct Disorder (CD) and a Control group, we examine agreement between adolescents' self-reports and their mothers' informant reports. Using trait-centered and person-centered perspectives, we find support for both hypotheses. Results have implications for understanding the processes affecting personality judgment, for increasing integration of traditional personality research and personality pathology, and for personality assessment.     

Negative emotions and quality of life among adolescents: A moderated mediation model

Background/ObjectiveDepression, anxiety and stress are known as negative emotions. Previous studies have shown that negative emotions were associated with quality of life. There are a lot of researches on quality of life. However, previous studies mainly focused on health-related quality of life among patients. This study aims to examine the relationship between negative emotions and quality of life as well as the underlying psychological mechanism among community-based samples.MethodWe surveyed 6,401 adolescents (age: 9-15 years old). Participants were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescent, Perceived Social Support Scale and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 Generic Scale for Negative Emotions, Resilience, Social Support and Quality of Life.ResultsResults revealed that negative emotions were negatively associated with quality of life, and resilience mediated the relationship between negative emotions and quality of life. Social support moderated all the paths among negative emotions, resilience and quality of life.ConclusionsAdolescents’ quality of life was indirectly affected by negative emotions via resilience, and less affected by negative emotions and more affected by resilience with the improvement of social support. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.     

Sexist attitudes and authoritarian personality characteristics among Australian adolescents

This paper examines the suggestion that sexism is a central feature of authoritarianism among young people. One hundred seventeen Australian adolescent schoolchildren completed questionnaires containing Phillips' (1979a, Child Study Journal, 9, 21–35) measure of classical authoritarianism for children and balanced measures of two other aspects of authoritarianism, namely, directiveness, modified from Ray (1976, Human Relations, 29, 307–325) and attitude to authority, modified from Rigby and Rump (1981, Journal of Psychology, 109, 109–118). Factor analyses of the results for classical authoritarianism replicated Phillips' earlier finding with younger schoolchildren that eight items identified as reflecting a sexist attitude loaded substantially on a first varimax rotated factor. These eight items constituted a reliable sexism scale (α = .80), which correlated significantly with the remainder of the classical authoritarianism scale, after controlling for the contribution of age (partial r = .30). However, the partial correlations with balanced measures of directiveness and attitude to authority were not significant. These results suggest that sexism may be one aspect of authoritarianism, rather than a central feature.     

Image of God and personality pathology: An exploratory study among psychiatric patients

The associations between personality pathology according to DSM-IV, symptomatology and God image were examined among a group of 46 psychiatric patients. Features of personality disorders were assessed using the 'Questionnaire to Assess Personality Pathology', a self-report screener. God image was measured by means of the 'Questionnaire God Image'. Symptomatology was assesed by means of the SCL-90. The more personality pathology present, the more negative the image of God. The negative image of God appeared to be associated with personality pathology, in particular with pathology from the DSM-IV A- and C-cluster, even after controlling for the influence of symptomatology, suggesting that the association between symptomatology and the God image is mediated by personality pathology. When symptoms of the A-cluster are present God is experienced as detached and passive. When C-cluster symptoms prevail, God is experienced as a harsh judge. Results are discussed both from a psychodynamic object-relational as well as from a cognitive schema focused perspective.     

The enduring impact of borderline personality pathology: risk for threatening life events in later middle-age

Both neuroticism and borderline personality disorder (BPD) are associated with increased frequency of stressful life events in young adults. It is not clear, however, whether this effect extends to later life because BPD is apparently diminished in frequency and severity when people reach middle adulthood. This issue was examined in a representative, community sample of men and women between the ages of 55 and 64 (N = 1,234). Ten DSM-IV PDs and neuroticism were assessed at baseline using a semistructured interview (SIDP-IV) and questionnaire (NEO-PI-R). Life events were measured 6 months later with a self-report questionnaire (LTE-Q) followed by a telephone interview. BPD features and neuroticism predicted increased frequency of life events, based on both self and interviewer-adjusted reports of negative life events. Avoidant and paranoid PD features predicted decreased frequency of negative life events. Approximately 42% of events reported on the LTE-Q were discounted following the telephone interview; higher scores on BPD symptoms were associated with more adjustments to self-report of threatening experiences. These findings indicate that symptoms of BPD and neuroticism continue to have a harmful impact on the lives of older adults.     

Hating among adolescents: Common contributions of cognitive distortions and maladaptive personality traits

The phenomenon of hating is becoming common in adolescence, but it has been rarely investigated. The study aimed to examine the relationships between hating behaviors, maladaptive personality traits, and cognitive distortions, and to explore whether cognitive distortions might intervene in the relationship between personality traits and hating. Method: Participants (200 boys and 202 girls) completed the Hating Adolescents Test (HAT), the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form-Children (PID-5), and the How I Think Questionnaire (HITQ). Results: Preliminary results showed significant gender differences in the study’s variables: boys reported higher scores than girls on hating and on cognitive distortion minimizing, whereas no significant differences emerged on maladaptive personality traits. The mediation model showed that the cognitive distortion blaming others mediated the relationship between psychoticism and hating. Conclusions: Data suggested a mediating role of cognitive distortion blaming others in the relationship between psychoticism trait and hating behaviors.

     

The associations between non-suicidal self-injury and borderline personality disorder features among Chinese adolescents

This study examined the relative importance of four major BPD features, that is, affective instability, disturbed interpersonal relationship, unstable sense of self, and behavioral impulsivity, in explaining the presence, initiation, repetition, and discontinuation of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among a 2-year follow-up sample of 4,782 (68.5% girls) Hong Kong Chinese secondary school students. Affective instability, disturbed interpersonal relationship and behavioral impulsivity were significantly associated with the presence of NSSI both concurrently and longitudinally. These three BPD features were also related to the future initiation of NSSI. On the other hand, only behavioral impulsivity made a significant contribution to the repetition of NSSI. Additionally, a lower level of affective instability was also associated with quitting NSSI. We discussed some possible mechanisms underlying the effects of different BPD features on different developmental stages of NSSI.     

Links between relational aggression,parenting and personality among adolescents

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the mediating role of behavioral inhibition system, referring to the inhibition of behavior, and behavioral activation system (BAS), related to impulsivity, in the association between perceived parenting behaviors and relational aggression. It simultaneously investigated the moderating effects of callous-unemotional (CU) traits in this association in a sample of 261 (127 girls) Greek junior high school students who completed a self-report questionnaire. Results of the mediation analyses revealed that BAS was a partial mediator in the relationship between low parental psychological autonomy and relational aggression, as well as between low parental behavioral control and relational aggression. The effect of low parental psychological autonomy on relationally aggressive behavior was also significantly stronger when CU traits were present (moderator). The results emphasize that both individual and interpersonal factors should be taken into consideration when studying relational aggression.     

Health-related quality of life among people living with hiv disease in small communities and rural areas

Abstract

While many studies have examined the life quality of HIV-infected persons in large metropolitan areas, few studies have investigated quality of life issues among persons living with HIV disease in America's small and rural communities. In the present study, 78 people living with HIV/AIDS in small and rural communities (i.e., populations <25,000) reported on their health-related quality of life. Many respondents reported decreased social, emotional, functional, and physical well-being. Results revealed that participants' emotional well-being and the quality of their relationship with their doctor were related to their overall quality of life. The majority of participants (73%) expressed interest in participating in a telephone-linked support group involving other people living with HIV designed to improve quality of life.     

Health-related quality of life in children and adolescents: subjective well being

The main objective of this study was to build a model, which includes personal and social factors, that helps to highlight factors that promote health-related quality of Life (HRQoL) in children and in adolescents. A sample of 3195 children and adolescents was acquired from 5th and 7th graders from all five Portuguese regions. In this study three independent latent variables were specified--Physical, Psychological and Social and two dependent latent variables were measured: Health behavior and Quality of Life. The integrative model was composed by different components: (1) health-related quality of life, integrated by 8 dimensions from KIDSCREEN-52; (2) health behavior, (3) variables related to physical health; (4) variables related to social health; (5) variables related to psychological health. As results were found strong correlation between psychological dimensions and self-esteem and other factors and a structural equation model was developed. The model presented a RMSEA index of .08. Similarly, adjustment levels for the CFI, NFI and IFI vary above or around .90, which suggests a good adjustment for the hypothesized model. The model presented significant qui-square. This study showed that in all the samples studied, the psychological variables were those that contributed at a superior level to HRQoL.     

Venturesomeness, impulsiveness, and Eysenck's personality dimensions: a study among Australian adolescents

In Eysenckian personality theory, the dimension extraversion has traditionally consisted of two elements, sociability and impulsiveness. More recently, however, impulsiveness has become associated with the dimension psychoticism (Rocklin & Revelle, 1981), although subfactors of impulsiveness have been shown to be differentially related to extraversion and psychoticism (S. Eysenck & H. Eysenck, 1977). This study investigates the structures of impulsiveness and venturesomeness and their association with extraversion, emotional stability-neuroticism, and psychoticism among 170 Australian adolescents. Both impulsiveness and venturesomeness were found to be multidimensional, although the subfactors differed slightly from those suggested by the Eysencks. No support was found for the view that impulsiveness narrowly defined is pathological, although the impulsiveness and venturesomeness subfactors were found to be differentially related to extraversion, emotional stability-neuroticism, and psychoticism. The theoretical implications of these findings are briefly discussed.     

Agreement among adolescents, parents, and teachers on adolescent personality

Agreement between adolescents, mothers, fathers, and teachers on adolescents' personality traits was investigated in a longitudinal study. The targets for personality ratings were the adolescents who participated in the European Youth Heart Study in Estonia. There were 593 participants in the first wave and 480 participants in the follow-up study 3 years later. Adolescents' self-reports as well as father, mother, and teacher ratings were collected using questionnaires to measure the five-factor model of personality. In both waves, inter-rater agreement was highest between mothers and fathers, was low to moderate for parent-self ratings, and was lowest for ratings between self and teacher, mother and teacher, and father and teacher. Test-retest correlations were moderate for parent and self-ratings but failed to reach statistical significance for three of the five teacher-rated traits, suggesting lower reliability of teacher ratings. Possible explanations for the low agreement between teachers and other judges are discussed.     

Crystallizing enterprising interests among adolescents through a career development program: The role of personality and family background

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a new career development program designed to help adolescents explore their interest in enterprise as a career option. Using a person-oriented approach, pre- and post-test measurements of enterprising interests in an intervention (n = 321) and a control group (n = 302) of adolescents aged 16.5 years on average were compared. As predicted, the frequency of five different patterns of enterprising interest development (stable high, stable low, decreaser, increaser, middle) differed between the two groups, with increasers and decreasers more prevalent in the intervention group. Furthermore, a discriminant function analysis revealed that adolescents in the stable high and increaser groups showed the most entrepreneurial personality profile (e.g., low risk avoidance, high social dominance). Moreover, increasers often had a non-entrepreneurial family background. Results suggest that the new program is a useful tool in supporting adolescents’ exploration of enterprise as future career option.     

Effects of guided imagery with relaxation training on anxiety and quality of life among patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) impacts quality of life (QoL). Psychological factors influence the course of the disease and should be targeted for intervention.

Methods: Our study was a prospective, randomised control trial. Fifty-six outpatients were randomly chosen and allocated to a treatment group or a waiting-list control group. Treatment group patients attended three relaxation-training sessions and received an audio disc for home practice. Evaluations performed pre and post-treatment: state anxiety was assessed with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, QoL with the IBD Questionnaire. The Visual Analogue Scale assessed pain, depression, stress and mood. Patients completed a symptom monitoring diary. The control group's symptoms were monitored without study-related treatment.

Results: Thirty-nine subjects completed the study and were included in the data analysis. Following the relaxation-training intervention, the treatment group's (n?=?18) measured results showed a statistically significant improvement as compared to the control group (n?=?21) (time by treatment interaction): anxiety levels decreased (p?<?0.01), QoL and mood improved (p?<?0.05), while levels of pain and stress decreased (p?<?0.01).

Conclusions: Findings indicate IBD patients may benefit from relaxation training in their holistic care. New studies as well as further investigation of the subject are warranted.     

Health-related quality of life in transgender adolescents: Associations with body image and emotional and behavioral problems

Background: Transgender adolescents who apply for treatment often experience a marked increase in body-related distress when entering puberty, accompanied by internalizing problems and poor peer relations. Although adolescence is a time of considerable psychosocial and physical change, generally associated with a decline in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), research on HRQoL in transgender youth and possible predictors is sparse. This study thus aims to explore the predictive value of body image factors and emotional and behavioral problems for HRQoL.

Methods: This cross-sectional one-group observational study was carried out at the Child and Adolescent psychiatric department (Gender Identity Service) in Hamburg, Germany. A sample of n = 126 (103 trans male and 23 trans female) adolescents, who were referred for counseling and/or treatment completed different standardized instruments before undergoing any sort of treatment. Firstly, five dimensions of HRQoL were explored in transgender adolescents and secondly, a linear regression model was applied to assess the impact of body image and emotional and behavioral problems on overall HRQoL.

Results: HRQoL was generally impaired in transgender adolescents compared to norm scores, especially with regard to aspects of psychological and physical well-being. Linear regression analysis revealed that greater internalizing problems and less body satisfaction significantly predicted lower HRQoL outcomes.

Conclusions: Impaired HRQoL may be explained by high degrees of internalizing problems and low body satisfaction. Thus, one important aim of mental health professionals working with youth should be to provide appropriate treatment and counseling options that may contribute to overall well-being in the long-term.     

Well-being in parents of children with cancer: The impact of parental personality,coping, and the child's quality of life

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of parental personality, coping, and the child's quality of life on the well-being of parents of children treated for cancer. The study included 99 parents (63 mothers and 36 fathers), 41 parents during child's intensive treatment, 23 parents whose child completed intensive treatment, and 25 parents of children who completed treatment at least five years ago. The results of multivariate study have confirmed the predictive role of parental personality (especially Neuroticism); emotion-focused coping styles, and the child's quality of life (especially physical functioning) on parental well-being. About 60% of the variance in parental well-being can be attributed to the predictors. Assessing parental personality functioning and coping styles can help us identify those parents who are less emotionally stable, more prone to emotionally focused coping styles, and most likely to experience poorer well-being. Improved assessment may contribute to the development of further psychological interventions.     

Development of personality and the remission and onset of personality pathology

The current study used the Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders data set (Lenzenweger, 1999) to examine the development of personality traits in the context of the remission and onset of personality disorder (PD) symptoms. Despite high levels of stability, past research on the development of basic personality traits has also found a mean trend toward increased maturity and that individuals vary in their trajectories of trait development. Research on PD change has shown a similar pattern. We employed individual growth curve modeling to examine the relationship between personality trait development and PD symptom course. We found that both are indeed related and that remission in PD symptoms is associated with patterns of trait development associated with more rapid maturity. In contrast, deviating from the mean of trait development either through no change (i.e., stagnation) or change in the opposite direction (i.e., regression) was associated with developing PD symptoms over the course of the study.