Suicidality in Bipolar Disorder: The Role of Emotion‐Triggered Impulsivity

A growing body of research suggests that impulsive responses to emotion more robustly predict suicidality than do other forms of impulsivity. This issue has not yet been examined within bipolar disorder, however. Participants diagnosed with bipolar I disorder (n = 133) and control participants (n = 110) diagnosed with no mood or psychotic disorder completed self‐report measures of emotion‐triggered impulsivity (Negative and Positive Urgency Scales) and interviews concerning lifetime suicidality. Analyses examined the effects of emotion‐triggered impulsivity alone and in combination with gender, age of onset, depression severity, comorbid anxiety, comorbid substance use, and medication. A history of suicide ideation and attempts, as well as self‐harm, were significantly more common in the bipolar disorder group compared with the control group. Impulsive responses to positive emotions related to suicide ideation, attempts, and self‐harm within the bipolar group. Findings extend research on the importance of emotion‐triggered impulsivity to a broad range of key outcomes within bipolar disorder. The discussion focuses on limitations and potential clinical implications.     

Differential Determinants of Young Adult Substance Use and High‐Risk Sexual Behavior1

This investigation evaluated how personality traits, self‐efficacy, and outcome expectancies differentially relate to young adult substance use and high‐risk sex. Experiments I (N= 481) and 2 (N= 73) report the development of a new questionnaire to assess self‐efficacy for substance use and sexual behavior. Experiment 3 (N= 375) tested self‐efficacy, outcome expectancies, and trait measures of social conformity and sensation seeking as correlates of substance use and high‐risk sex. Using structural equation modeling, cross‐sectional analyses revealed that positive outcome expectancies had the largest association with substance use, whereas self‐efficacy had the largest association with sexual behavior. Further, personality traits were related to substance use and sexual behavior indirectly through outcome expectancies, with social conformity also having a direct effect on behavior. When examined longitudinally, past alcohol and drug use served as the final pathway by which expectancies and personality impacted substance use, whereas past behavior, self‐efficacy, and social conformity all contributed to high‐risk sex. Results support the utility of different models for explaining, and possibly preventing, young adult substance use and high‐risk sex.     

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FOUR SELF‐CORRECTED SPELLING TEST METHODS

ABSTRACT

Spelling achievement of fourth graders was assessed using four self‐corrected test methods. Two‐hundred nine children in two schools were randomly assigned to one of four treatments. Methods included visual and listwise, visual and wordwise, oral and listwise, and oral and wordwise.

A 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design was implemented. Factors included (a) type of feedback (wordwise versus listwise), (b) presentation mode (oral versus visual), and (c) student's gender. Analyses of covariance were conducted, with the pretest as a covariate. Wordwise feedback produced significantly higher gains than listwise. There were no significant differences in gains between visual and oral modes, or among presentation mode, gender, and ability.

Students should use the self‐corrected test as a method of spelling study, and use wordwise, feedback during self‐correction.     

Étude des liens entre la fréquence de pratique sportive et la santé des étudiants : mesure des effets de genre sur les troubles alimentaires et les consommations de substances

A number of previous studies have focused on the effect of sport practice on eating disorders and substance use. Most of these studies suggest that among students sport practice is related to low levels of health issues like eating disorders and substance use. However, there is a relative dearth of evidence for these relationships and previous findings are based on comparisons between people involved in sport practice and physical activity and sedentary or largely inactive people. The present study aims to test the effects of frequency of sport practice on college students’ eating disorders and substance use when also controlling for gender effects.MethodsOne thousand and seventy-three first year college students (35.6% boys, 64.4% girls) volunteered to participate in the study. Participants were divided into three groups according to the frequency of their sport practice: students who rarely participated in sport practice (less than one hour a week and not every week; 406 students, 26.4% boys vs 73.6% girls), students who frequently participated in sport practice (every week but less than eight hours a week; 173 students, 33.5% boys vs 66.5% girls), and students who had intensive sport practice (eight hours a week or more; 494 students, 43.9% boys vs 56.1% girls). Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use were assessed using the Alcohol Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). Three different categories of eating disorders (Dieting, Bulimia, Oral control) were assessed using the EAT-26 inventory. ANOVAs were computed to test for gender differences across the three sport practice groups.ResultsResults of univariate ANOVAs revealed main effects for gender and sport practice on some of the substance use and eating disorder variables, ANOVA with multiple comparisons (Tamhan T Test) revealed a significant interaction effect of sport practice and gender on oral control and tobacco use. For girls, oral control and tobacco use do not vary within the three groups of sport practice whereas for boys the more frequent the sport practice, the lower their scores on oral control and tobacco use. For oral control, boys reported significantly higher scores than girls only when sport practice was rare. For tobacco use, boys reported significantly higher scores than girls when sport practice was rare and lower scores when sport practice was intensive.ConclusionThese results suggest that the positive effects of sport practice vary by gender and that the campaigns for promotion of physical activity might assist in the prevention of health issues amongst students but should be adapted according to the gender of the participants.     

Examining a structural model of the relationships among alcohol use,marijuana/hashish use,their effects,and emotional and psychological problems over time in a cohort of high‐risk youths

Using data collected in a longitudinal study of detained juveniles, we test a model of the relationships among alcohol and marijuana or hashish use, reported adverse effects of the use of these substances, and emotional and psychological problems. Significant interrelationships were found among these factors over time. Degree of involvement in alcohol and marijuana or hashish use (measured either by self‐reports or both self‐reports and urine test results) was significantly related at Time 1 with the number of reported averse effects of the use of each specific substance; a similar relationship was found at Time 2 for marijuana or hashish use. In addition, emotional and psychological problems were significantly associated with reported adverse effects of the use of alcohol or marijuana or hashish at each time period. The results further indicate that youths who become more involved in the use of alcohol or marijuana or hashish over time report more adverse effects of their use of each of these substances. These findings highlight a network of interconnected experiences that add insight into the youths’ functioning over time. At the same time, the youths’ Time 2 emotional and psychological problems, reported effects of their alcohol use, and reported effects of their marijuana or hashish use are weakly predicted by the variables in the model; these findings suggest considerable change in these experiences over time. Theoretical and policy implications of these findings are discussed.     

The drug‐crime nexus among adolescents and their peers

The purpose of this paper is to determine the nature of the drug‐crime relationship by exploring the influence of friend behaviors on both adolescent delinquent and substance using behavior. The sample consists of 1381 adolescents evenly divided by gender into three age groups (12, 15 and 18 years old). In general, there is an increase in intensity of substance use from the youngest to the oldest age level with male and female levels being similar within each age group. There are both age and gender differences when examining delinquent behavior. There is a relationship between adolescent drug use and crime (especially among males), however this relationship is relatively modest. In addition, while friends’ behavior is a very strong predictor of the same type of behavior in subjects, there are no strong crossover relationships. Thus, the hypothesis that both types of behavior are part of a specific deviant peer subculture is not confirmed.     

Individual Differences in Social Dominance Orientation Predict Support for the Use of Cognitive Ability Tests

This study investigates the personality processes involved in the debate surrounding the use of cognitive ability tests in college admissions. In Study 1, 108 undergraduates (M_age = 18.88 years, 60 women, 80 Whites) completed measures of social dominance orientation (SDO), testing self‐efficacy, and attitudes regarding the use of cognitive ability tests in college admissions; SAT/ACT scores were collected from the registrar. Sixty‐seven undergraduates (M_age = 19.06 years, 39 women, 49 Whites) completed the same measures in Study 2, along with measures of endorsement of commonly presented arguments about test use. In Study 3, 321 American adults (M_age = 35.58 years, 180 women, 251 Whites) completed the same measures used in Study 2; half were provided with facts about race and validity issues surrounding cognitive ability tests. Individual differences in SDO significantly predicted support for the use of cognitive ability tests in all samples, after controlling for SAT/ACT scores and test self‐efficacy and also among participants who read facts about cognitive ability tests. Moreover, arguments for and against test use mediated this effect. The present study sheds new light on an old debate by demonstrating that individual differences in beliefs about hierarchy play a key role in attitudes toward cognitive ability test use.     

Sexual Self‐Control and Male Condom‐Use Outcome Beliefs: Predicting Heterosexual Men's Condom‐Use Intentions and Behavior1

A model of condom‐use intentions and behavior that we previously developed for women was replicated and extended with heterosexual men (n= 203; M age = 20.1 years). The general determinants of intentions to use condoms were consistent for men and women. The predictors of general condom attitudes and condom‐use self‐efficacy differed across gender. Male condom‐use outcome beliefs and sexual self‐control emerged as predictors of sexually experienced men's condom attitudes and self‐efficacy, respectively. In a 3‐month follow‐up, intentions and sexual self‐control predicted condom‐use behavior. These findings have implications for specificity vs. generality in the correlates of common behaviors across groups, the study of gender differences in condom use, and the development of intervention content targeted to specific populations.     

Couple Therapy and Addictions

Abstract

Therapies for alcoholism, substance abuse, and other addictions traditionally focus on characteristics of individuals such as behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. These kinds of programs tend to target problems inside the abusing person rather than a relational system. Treatments that are more recent locate the problems within systems of people. Regardless of the locus or cause of the abuse or addiction, seen as arising from disease processes, systemic dynamics, or other mechanisms that lead to unfortunate habits and behaviors, utilizing the individual's partner or family in therapy has become an important part of successful treatment. This article reviews models of couple treatment for alcoholics and substance abusers in terms of initiation into treatment, primary treatment, and relapse prevention.     

Adolescent socialization and use of licit and illicit substances: Impact on adult health

Abstract

This study examined the impact of adolescent substance use on young adult health. Longitudinal data from 825 participants were assessed when the participants were junior high school and high school students (1969-1973) and again in 1981. Latent variable models were used to determine what effect adolescent drug use had on later health. General substance use, which included tobacco, alcohol, stimulants, sedatives, and other hard drugs, had a small effect on adult health problems associated with substance use, and also predicted accidents related to substance use. In addition, the specific use of tobacco and cannabis in adolescence predicted later respiratory problems, while cigarette smoking during adolescence also predicted decreased physical hardiness. Lower adolescent socialization predicted post high school accidents (automobile and other) serious enough to require medical attention, and predicted increased psychosomatic and seizure symptoms, as well as general psychiatric distress. Implications of these results for the successful prevention or intervention of drug use are discussed. In addition to these results, gender differences are also examined.     

Effects of personality and gender on self–other agreement in ratings of leadership

We explore the role of leader personality (i.e., the Big 5 traits: Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Openness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism) and gender in self–other (dis)agreement (SOA) in ratings of leadership. We contend that certain aspects of the leader's persona may be more or less related to self‐ or other‐ratings of the leader's behaviour if those aspects are (1) more or less observable by others, (2) more or less related to internal thoughts versus external behaviours, (3) more or less prone to self‐enhancement or self‐denigrating biases, or (4) more or less socially desirable. We utilize statistical methodologies that capture fully the effects of multiple independent variables on the congruence between two dependent variables (Edwards, 1995 , Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 64, 307), which previously have not been applied to this area of research. Our results support hypotheses predicting less SOA as leader Conscientiousness increases and greater SOA as Agreeableness and Neuroticism increase. Additionally, we found gender to be an important factor in SOA; female leaders exhibited greater SOA than did their male counterparts. We discuss the implications of these findings, limitations, and future research directions.

Practitioner points

• Popular practices such as 360‐degree feedback may reveal discrepancies between a person's self‐ratings and other's ratings.
• Although often attributed to a lack of self‐awareness, these discrepancies also may be explained by factors such as the personality and gender of the focal individual.

     

Social orientations and adolescent health behaviours in Hungary

Adolescent health behaviours are influenced by a variety of social factors, including social orientations, such as social comparison or competitiveness. The main goal of the present study was to investigate the role that these social orientations might play in health behaviours (both health‐impairing and health‐promoting). Data were collected from high school students (N = 548; ages 14–20 years; 39.9% males) in two counties of the Southern Plain Region of Hungary. The self‐administered questionnaires contained items on sociodemographics, such as age, sex, parental schooling, and socioeconomic status (SES) self‐assessment; school achievement, health behaviours, competitiveness and social comparison. Multiple regression analyses suggest that those who scored higher on competitiveness engaged in more substance use, a pattern that was not present for health‐promoting behaviours. Social comparison, however, was associated with lower levels of substance use. In addition, in relation to health‐impairing behaviours, both competitiveness and social comparison interacted with sex; both social orientation variables proved to be more important for boys. Social comparison also contributed to health‐promoting behaviours among boys. Findings support the idea that the role of social orientations, such as competitiveness and social comparison, can be quite different depending on sex and the nature of the health behaviour. While competitiveness may act as a risk factor for substance use among boys, social comparison may act as a protection. It appears that social orientations play less of a role in girls' health‐related behaviours. More focus is needed on gender differences in influences on adolescents' health‐related behaviours.     

Violent offenses associated with co‐occurring substance use and mental health problems: Evidence from CJDATS

The present study examines the relationship between substance use, mental health problems, and violence in a sample of offenders released from prison and referred to substance abuse treatment programs. Data from 34 sites (n = 1,349) in a federally funded cooperative, the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJDATS), were analyzed. Among parolees referred to substance abuse treatment, self‐reports for the six‐month period before the arrest resulting in their incarceration revealed frequent problems with both substance use and mental health. For most offenders with substance use problems, the quantity of alcohol consumed and the frequency of drug use were associated with a greater probability of self‐reported violence. Mental health problems were not indicative of increases in violent behavior, with the exception of antisocial personality problems, which were associated with violence. The paper emphasizes the importance of providing substance abuse treatment in relation to violent behavior among offenders with mental health problems being discharged to the community. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Doing Despite Disliking: Self‐regulatory Strategies in Everyday Aversive Activities

We investigated the self‐regulatory strategies people spontaneously use in their everyday lives to regulate their persistence during aversive activities. In pilot studies (pooled N = 794), we identified self‐regulatory strategies from self‐reports and generated hypotheses about individual differences in trait self‐control predicting their use. Next, deploying ambulatory assessment (N = 264, 1940 reports of aversive/challenging activities), we investigated predictors of the strategies' self‐reported use and effectiveness (trait self‐control and demand types). The popularity of strategies varied across demands. In addition, people higher in trait self‐control were more likely to focus on the positive consequences of a given activity, set goals, and use emotion regulation. Focusing on positive consequences, focusing on negative consequences (of not performing the activity), thinking of the near finish, and emotion regulation increased perceived self‐regulatory success across demands, whereas distracting oneself from the aversive activity decreased it. None of these strategies, however, accounted for the beneficial effects of trait self‐control on perceived self‐regulatory success. Hence, trait self‐control and strategy use appear to represent separate routes to good self‐regulation. By considering trait‐ and process‐approaches these findings promote a more comprehensive understanding of self‐regulatory success and failure during people's daily attempts to regulate their persistence. © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology     

A stronger latent‐variable methodology to actual–ideal discrepancy

We introduce a latent actual–ideal discrepancy (LAID) approach based on structural equation models (SEMs) with multiple indicators and empirically weighted variables. In Study 1, we demonstrate with simulated data, the superiority of a weighted approach to discrepancy in comparison to a classic unweighted one. In Study 2, we evaluate the effects of actual and ideal appearance on physical self‐concept and self‐esteem. Actual appearance contributes positively to physical self‐concept and self‐esteem, whereas ideal appearance contributes negatively. In support of multidimensional perspective, actual‐ and ideal‐appearance effects on self‐esteem are substantially—but not completely—mediated by physical self‐concept. Whereas this pattern of results generalises across gender and age, multiple‐group invariance tests show that the effect of actual appearance on physical self‐concept is larger for women than for men. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Employing autobiographical memory perspective to influence self‐congruence and brand preference

This paper advances our understanding of consumer behavior by examining the influence of autobiographical memory perspective on consumer's self‐congruence. While extant research has primarily restricted itself to the consequences of self‐congruence, this work focuses on an antecedent, by examining the psychological processes associated with the consumer's autobiographical memory perspective and the resulting impact on self‐congruence. Through three experiments, we demonstrate that visualizing autobiographical memories from a first‐person versus a third‐person perspective impacts consumers' self‐brand congruence differently under varied circumstances. Specifically, differing degrees of self‐brand congruence are experienced when consumers focus on differences (vs. similarities) between their present and recalled selves, combined with distinct autobiographical memory perspectives. The autobiographical memory perspective is identified as a key determinant of consumers' perceived change in self‐image, which, in turn, has a cascading effect on their self‐brand congruence. Thus, consumers' perceived change in self‐image is identified as the mechanism underlying the main effect. Furthermore, as an important component of self‐image, this research determines and examines a moderating influence of self‐esteem in the relationship between autobiographical memory perspective and self‐congruence. Collectively, these results facilitate our understanding of the autobiographical memory perspective as an antecedent of consumer's self‐congruence, with implications for nostalgia advertising and retro branding.     

Attachments,gender, and delinquency

The purpose of this study is to contribute to a gender‐integrated theory of delinquent behavior by testing the assumptions of gender specialized delinquent behavior and of sex typed bonds as inhibitors of deviance. Data from self‐administered questionnaires completed by a sample of teenagers in the 10th grade and one year later were used in the study. We found no clear evidence of gender specialization in the deviant behavior reported by the youth. Furthermore, the analysis did not lend support to traditional theories that link male and female delinquency to the weakening of different bonds. The testing of an inclusive model of bond theories produced very similar results for both genders.     

Visibility and anonymity effects on attraction and group cohesiveness

This study investigated attraction and group cohesiveness under different visibility and anonymity conditions for social categories that differed in their capacity to be visually cued. Using computer‐mediated communication in 36 mixed gender (visually cued category) and nationality (non‐visually cued category) groups, we manipulated social category salience (via discussion topic), and anonymity versus visibility (via live video links). Under high salience, the effects of anonymity versus visibility were moderated by availability of visible category cues. Visibility increased attraction and cohesiveness for visually cued groups, whereas anonymity increased attraction and cohesiveness for non‐visually cued groups. Path analysis showed that, under high salience, effects of visibility and anonymity were mediated by self‐categorization processes, triggered by prototypicality of self in the case of non‐visually cued groups under anonymity. In low salience conditions, visibility directly cued attraction independently from self‐categorization, in line with relational attraction processes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.