A long‐term fatty fish intervention improved executive function in inpatients with antisocial traits and a history of alcohol and drug abuse

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of fatty fish consumption on cognitive functioning in a group of inpatients characterized by antisocial behavior. Eighty‐three male forensic inpatients participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned into a Fish or a Control group (e.g., meat, chicken, pork). One decision‐making task, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), and one planning task, the Tower of Hanoi (ToH), were administered before (pre‐test) and at the end of the intervention period (post‐test). For the IGT the Fish group showed improved performance from pre‐ to post‐ test. Moreover, the Fish group showed significantly better performance than the Control group on the IGT at post‐test. The Fish group also demonstrated improved performance from pre‐ to post‐test on the ToH; however, this was limited to participants with a history of substance abuse. Further, the improvement was only significant for tasks with high working memory load (5–7 move problems), and not for tasks with low working memory load (1–4 move problems). The Control group showed no improvement on any of the tasks regardless of alcohol or drug abuse history. The present study suggests that regular fatty fish consumption may improve executive functions in forensic inpatients with antisocial traits and a history of substance abuse. Thus, the current results may have important implications with regard to health care interventions.     

False recognition in women reporting recovered memories of sexual abuse

False recognition—the mistaken belief that one has previously encountered a novel item—was examined in four groups of subjects: women reporting recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse, women who believe that they were sexually abused as children but who cannot recall this abuse (the "repressed" group), women who were sexually abused as children and always remembered the abuse, and women with no history of childhood sexual abuse. Subjects were administered a Deese/Roediger-McDermott paradigm. The results suggest that the recovered-memory group was more prone to false recognition than the other groups. In addition, women reporting recovered and repressed memories showed greater reduction in false recognition across study trials than did other subjects, perhaps reflecting strategic changes in performance.     

The course of adult experiences of abuse in patients with borderline personality disorder and Axis II comparison subjects: a 10-year follow-up study

The first objective of this study was to assess the rates of adult experiences of verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse reported by borderline patients and Axis II comparison subjects over 10 years of prospective follow-up. The second objective was to determine time-to-cessation, recurrence, and new onset of each type of abuse. The Abuse History Interview (AHI) was administered to 290 borderline patients and 72 Axis II comparison subjects at baseline. The AHI Follow-up Version (AHI-FUV) was administered at five contiguous follow-up waves. Over 10 years of follow-up, the rates of all four types of abuse declined significantly for borderline patients. For borderline patients, rates of cessation were high for all types of abuse (>90%). However, recurrences and new onsets of verbal and emotional abuse were relatively common (>60%). Contrastingly, they were relatively uncommon for physical and sexual abuse (<30%), suggesting that verbal and emotional abuse represent more stable forms of abuse.     

Psychopathy and aggressive behaviour among Nigerian male prison inmates: The moderating role of substance abuse

This study investigated the moderating role of substance abuse in the relationship between psychopathy and aggression among male prison inmates. Two hundred and sixty-seven male prison inmates from the Nigerian Prison Services were participants. The inmates were incarcerated for armed robbery (27.3%), theft (31.1%), murder (12.8%), rape/assault/child abuse (19.1%), burglary/arson (5.6%) and kidnapping (1.5%) in Enugu prisons, Nigeria. Their mean age was 28.32; SD = 5.53. Their length of time in prison ranges from 1 to 12 years, with a mean of 3.38 years. Participants responded to self-reported measures of aggression, psychopathy, and drug abuse. The result of the moderated regression analysis indicated substance abuse to moderate the relationship between primary psychopathy and verbal aggression, and between secondary psychopathy and hostility. The study findings underscore the importance of psychological intervention aimed at addressing aggression among prison inmates with histories of substance abuse and psychopathy.     

Sustained efficacy of dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality disorder

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is considered one of the most promising treatments for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Recently, we reported significantly positive effects of 12 months DBT on parasuicidal behaviour and impulsivity in a mixed group of female BPD patients with and without substance abuse. Fifty-eight women with BPD were randomly assigned to either 52 weeks of DBT or treatment as usual (TAU). Follow-up assessment took place at 78 weeks, i.e., 6 months after discontinuation of DBT. Participants were clinical referrals from addiction treatment and psychiatric services. Outcome measures included parasuicidal behaviour, impulsivity and substance abuse. Six months after treatment discontinuation, the benefits of DBT over TAU in terms of lower levels of parasuicidal and impulsive behaviours, and in alcohol use, sustained. No differences between the treatment conditions were found for drug abuse. In conclusion, DBT seems to have a sustained effect on some of the core symptoms of BPD and on alcohol problems in a mixed population of female borderline patients with and without substance abuse problems.     

Substance use and abuse among children and teenagers

During the past several years, there has been a renewed national concern about drug abuse, culminating in the current "war on drugs." In this review, we emphasize that even though child or teenage drug use is an individual behavior, it is embedded in a sociocultural context that strongly determines its character and manifestations. Our focus is on psychoactive substances both licit (cigarettes and alcohol) and illicit (e.g., cannabis and cocaine). We feel that it is critical to draw a distinction between use and abuse of drugs and to do so from a multidimensional perspective that includes aspects of the stimulus (drug), organism (individual), response, and consequences. Our selective review of substance use and abuse among children and adolescents covers epidemiology (patterns and extent of drug use), etiology (what generates substance use), prevention (how to limit drug use), treatment (interventions with drug users), and consequences (effects and outcomes of youthful drug use).     

A Focus on Neglect: Comparing the Characteristics of Children and Parents in Cases of Neglect,Abuse, and Non-CAN (Child Abuse and Neglect) in Israeli Rulings on Termination of Parental Rights

This study attempts to expand the knowledge base about neglect by comparing the characteristics of children and parents involved in termination of parental rights proceedings in the Israeli legal system. Cases were classified as neglect (72.7%), abuse (19%) or non-child abuse or neglect (non-CAN; 8%) and were compared on a range of variables. The results show that neglected children have the most developmental problems, and generally come from single-parent families, compared to abused children, who suffer the most mental health problems and come from 2-parent families. Finally, neglect is associated with the mother’s history of drug abuse, and abuse is associated with the father’s drug abuse and criminal record. In non-CAN cases, the courts criticize the Child Protective Service more than in neglect and abuse cases. Implications of the findings for social work practice as well as future research directions are discussed.     

Power and Personality: An Analysis of Gay Male Intimate Abuse

A study was conducted to investigate the issue of gay male intimate abuse in a sample of 52 couples. The objective of the study was to explore the association between relationship power dynamics and the perpetration of psychological abuse, and to investigate the correspondence between intimate abuse and factors associated with the Abusive Personality [D. G. Dutton and A. J. Starzomski (1993) Borderline Personality in Perpetrators of Psychological and Physical Abuse, Violence and Victims, Vol. 8, pp. 327–337; D. G. Dutton (1994a) Behavioral and Affective Correlates of Borderline Personality Organization in Wife Assaulters, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, Vol. 17, pp. 265–279.] The majority of participants were middle to upper class and their ethnic/racial breakdown is as follows: White (86%), Native American (7%), Asian (4%), and Other (3%). In terms of power, results indicated that the more frequent form of psychological abuse was significantly higher in relationships characterized by divided power (i.e., partners sharing decision-making authority by the partners each making decisions in different domains). This finding supports the supposition that abuse can occur in relatively egalitarian relationships. An association between intimate abuse and the Abusive Personality was also clearly observed and this personality profile seemed to characterize both members of abusive dyads. Conclusions are drawn regarding the generalizability of intimate abuse across lines of sexual orientation.     

Antisocial personality disorder, affect dysregulation and childhood abuse among incarcerated women

The aim of this study was to examine the role of affect dysregulation and childhood abuse in antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), using a sample of incarcerated women. Subjects for this study were 85 incarcerated women who were administered structured interviews to assess for ASPD, borderline personality disorder (BPD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), childhood trauma, and affect dysregulation. Using a series of logistic regressions, this study found that a greater degree of affect dysregulation--in particular, poor anger modulation--was significantly related to ASPD, controlling for BPD and PTSD in women prisoners. After controlling for BPD, recent self mutilation was not significantly related to ASPD. Likewise, a history of childhood abuse was not significantly associated with ASPD.     

Association between Child Abuse and Health Risk Behaviors among Chinese College Students

Little is known about the link between child abuse and health risk behaviors among Chinese college students. This cross-sectional study examined the prevalence of child abuse and its relations with individual and clusters of health risk behaviors among Chinese college students. A total of 507 students participated in this survey. The prevalence of child abuse from the highest to the lowest was emotional neglect (53.9%), physical neglect (49.0%), emotional abuse (21.8%), physical abuse (18.3%), and sexual abuse (18.1%), respectively. Males were more likely to report child abuse than females (p?<?0.01). For males, emotional abuse was associated with internet addiction [OR?=?2.28; 95%CI (1.00, 5.20)] and suicidal behavior [OR?=?12.47, 95%CI (2.61, 59.54)]; while sexual abuse was associated with internet addiction [OR?=?2.30, 95%CI (1.14, 4.66)]. For females, emotional abuse was significantly associated with increased risks for self-harm behavior [OR?=?15.03, 95%CI (3.59, 63.07)] and suicidal behavior [OR?=?5.16, 95%CI (1.63, 16.40)]. Physical abuse was related to risks for internet addiction [OR?=?2.50, 95%CI (1.03, 6.04)] significantly. Two-step cluster analysis showed that participants in clusters with more health risk behaviors reported higher scores of child abuse. These findings suggest that child abuse was associated with both individual and clustering of health risk behaviors among Chinese college students.     

儿童虐待与戒毒动机：自我概念的中介效应

本文旨在探讨戒毒人群儿童虐待情况,以及儿童虐待、自我概念和戒毒动机之间的关系。采用儿童虐待问卷、田纳西自我概念量表和戒毒动机问卷对771名（男520,女251）正在戒毒的人员进行调查。结果发现：（1）强制戒毒人群的儿童虐待现象比较普遍（56.7%）,特别是躯体忽视和情感忽视;（2）儿童虐待与自我概念、戒毒动机呈显著负相关,自我概念与戒毒动机呈显著正相关;（3）自我概念在儿童虐待与戒毒动机间起部分中介作用。结论：治疗戒毒人群的心理成瘾,应评估其儿童虐待情况,针对有儿童虐待经历者,可通过构建积极自我概念的方式改善戒毒动机,进而提高戒毒成功率。     

Alcoholism, drug abuse, and the homeless.

Credible estimates of the prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse suggest that alcohol abuse affects 30% to 40% and drug abuse 10% to 15% of homeless persons. A review of policies that address substance abuse among the homeless finds that interventions alternate between control and rehabilitation. However, the unique needs of a changing homeless population require an integration of alcoholism and drug abuse recovery services with programs for women, adolescents, and the mentally ill. Alcohol- and drug-free housing is essential to support and maintain recovery. Psychology can contribute in the development of effective programs for homeless individuals struggling with addiction and alcoholism.     

General relations among drug use, alcohol use, and major indexes of psychopathology

Relations among measures of trait anxiety, depression, panic, somatization, alcohol use, drug use, and treatment for depression were investigated because, typically, studies (a) addressed relations among subsets of only 2 or 3 of the measures and (b) dealt almost exclusively with narrow samples of the population representing extremes on 1 or 2 of the measures. In this study, relations among all 7 measures were assessed with participants representing a wide range of scores on all the measures. The 369 participants (155 men, 214 women) were sampled from the general population. Three replications of the same study consistently yielded hypothesized positive intercorrelations among all 7 scales. Factor 1 (Anxiety-Depression) included Trait Anxiety, Depression, and Panic scales. Factor 2 (Substance Abuse) included Drug Use, Alcohol Use, Treatment for Depression, and Somatization scales. Factor 2 highlighted self-medication as a defining characteristic of somatizers and corroborated findings showing that substance abuse is often a precursor to treatment for depression-like symptoms that can be ameliorated with abstinence. Factors 1 and 2 were significantly intercorrelated (r = .41, df = 367, p < .05), showing a 17% shared variance in two common groupings of psychological dysfunction (anxiety-depression, substance abuse) in the general population. Thus, depending on socioeconomic and demographic variables, a third common form of dysfunction in the general population is represented by a combination of anxiety-depression plus substance abuse.     

Do men with excessive alcohol consumption and social stability have an addictive personality?

The existence of an "addictive" personality has been extensively debated. The current study investigated personality in male individuals with excessive alcohol consumption (n=100) in comparison to a population-based control group (n=131). The individuals with excessive alcohol consumption were recruited by advertisements in a regional daily newspaper and controls from a population based Swedish Twin Registry. Personality was assessed by the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP). Comparisons were made with normative data. Furthermore, by using a multivariate projection-based approach (Principal Component Analysis; PCA), hidden structures of traits and possible relationships among the individuals with excessive consumption and the controls was investigated. The individuals with excessive alcohol consumption as well as the controls had mean values within the normative range in all scales of the KSP. Moreover, the PCA analysis revealed no systematic between-group separation. Taken together, this result demonstrates that male individuals with excessive alcohol consumption do not have a personality different from that of a general population, which supports the notion of no "addictive personality".     

Impact of a Patient-Facing Enhanced Genomic Results Report to Improve Understanding,Engagement, and Communication

“The objective of this study was to” test the effectiveness of an enhanced genomic report on patient-centered outcome domains including communication, engagement and satisfaction. “Study design utilized” a prospective, randomized, mixed-methods desctiptive study of a whole genome sequencing results report, GenomeCOMPASS?, that was accessed by providers through the electronic health record and by patients through the associated patient portal. “The study was set in” an integrated healthcare delivery system in central Pennsylvania. “Eighty-four” parents of 46 children with undiagnosed Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or multiple congenital anomalies who had participated in a previous study offering whole genome sequencing for their affected child were invited to enroll. Fifty-two parents enrolled. Following a traditional genetics results informing visit, the study coordinator stratified families by diagnostic result and uninformative result and then randomized families within each group to an intervention arm to receive the GenomeCOMPASS? report or to the usual care arm to receive a summary letter from the medical geneticist. A letter inviting enrollment included a baseline survey, which once returned, constituted enrollment. Surveys were administered at 3 months post-genetics visit. At 6 months, the usual care arm crossed over to receive the intervention and were administered an additional survey at 3 months. Qualitative interviews were conducted following survey completion to augment the survey data regarding the patient centered outcomes of interest. Patient reported outcomes including communication, engagement, empowerment and satisfaction. In the intervention arm, GenomeCOMPASS? reports were released to 14 families (N?=?28 parents) and of those 21 (75%) returned 3 month surveys. In the usual care arm, 12 families (N?=?24 parents) received usual care summary letters and of those 20 (83%) returned 3 month surveys. At crossover, GenomeCOMPASS? reports were released to 20 individuals and 15 (75%) returned 3 month surveys. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 5 individuals. Use of the GenomeCOMPASS? report was reported by this small group of parents to improve communication with providers and non-health professionals such as educators and therapists and led to increased engagement and high satisfaction. Providers and others involved in the children’s care also endorsed the report’s effectiveness. Reports that addressed negative findings, i.e. uninformative results, were not found to be useful. Although the number of users was small, this study supports that customizable template reports may provide a useful and durable source of information that can support and enhance the information provided by genetics professionals in traditional face-to-face encounters. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov (Record 2013–0594).     

Path analysis of variables affecting 36-month outcome in a population of multi-risk children

Path analysis was employed with data collected during a longitudinal neuro-behavioral follow-up study of multi-risk children. The relative impact of maternal medical history, drug abuse, and day-to-day functioning during pregnancy on the course of labor and delivery and on neonatal outcome was examined. The subsequent impact of each of these sets of variables on the child's developmental status at 36 months was then explored. An additional factor, which incorporated postnatal environmental and family functioning characteristics, was also included in the model. Maternal drug abuse had a significant effect on the course of labor and delivery, due in part to the impact of maternal drug abuse on family functioning. The results indicate that in this multi-risk population, environmental and psychosocial variables are important predictors of the child's developmental prospects.     

A comparative study of the perception of freedom-in-leisure between stuttering and nonstuttering individuals

A central assumption, which served as the basis for this study, was that an individual who shared a social speech disfluency known as “stuttering” perceived less freedom in leisure experiences and was thought to be in a reduced position for deriving benefit from leisure than a nonstuttering person. Concomitant was the supposition that a stuttering person's functioning in leisure was adversely affected by possible transcendent manifestations of this stuttering. The population surveyed was the membership of the National Stuttering Project (NSP) comprised of both stuttering and nonstuttering persons.Results indicated that there was no significant difference in the current level of perceived freedom in leisure between stuttering and nonstuttering members of the NSP. Stuttering members, however, perceived barriers, prohibiting freedom in leisure, significantly different than nonstuttering members.No generalizations were made outside the NSP population surveyed.     

One year return to custody rates among co-disordered offenders

The extent to which therapeutic community (TC) methods meet the treatment needs of offenders with substance abuse disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders in prison is largely unknown. Very little research has been conducted with this population. The purposes of this study were to generate profiles of co-disordered drug offenders entering TC treatment in prison and to assess their post-release reincarceration rates, compared with drug offenders without psychiatric disorders. Extensive intake interview data for over 8,500 men and women who received treatment in one of 16 prison-based TCs in California were analyzed to produce profiles of co-disordered participants. Intake data come from a 5 year process and outcome evaluation of the California Department of Corrections' (CDC's) treatment initiative. Post-release reincarceration rates come from the CDC's Offender Based Information System. Compared with non-psychiatric disordered drug offenders, co-disordered offenders had substantially more severe substance abuse and criminal histories, in addition to their psychiatric impairment, at treatment entry. Logistic regression results indicated that, compared with drug offenders without psychiatric illness, co-disordered offenders were significantly more likely to be reincarcerated during the first year of their parole. These results suggest that prison treatment programs may need to use more comprehensive diagnostic assessments at intake to assess the diverse mental health needs of drug offenders with co-occurring psychiatric disorders and to develop treatment approaches suitable for this population.     

Normalized demand for drugs and other reinforcers.

The concepts of behavioral economics have proven to be useful for understanding the environmental control of overall levels of responding for a variety of commodities, including reinforcement by drug self-administration. These general concepts have implications for the assessment of abuse liability and drug abuse intervention and the formulation of public policy on drug abuse. An essential requirement is the ability to compare the demand for different drugs directly in order to assess relative abuse liability, and to compare demand for the same drug under different environmental and biological interventions to assess their ability to reduce demand. Until now, such comparisons were hampered by the confounding effect of varying drug doses and potencies that prevent quantitative comparisons of demand elasticity--sensitivity of consumption and responding to the constraint of price (effort). In this paper we describe a procedure to normalize demand-curve analysis that permits dose- and potency-independent comparisons of demand across drugs. The procedure is shown to be effective for comparing drug demand within and across the drug classes. The technique permits a quantitative ordering of demand that is consistent with the peak levels of responding maintained by the drugs. The same technique is generalized for the comparison of other types of reinforcers under different biological conditions.     

Leisure Activity Profile Measuring Use of Leisure Time by Persons with Alcoholism

Use of leisure time by persons with alcoholism differs from that of non-alcoholics. Some leisure activities may even contribute to a pattern of heavy drinking. The Leisure Activity Profile (LAP) was designed to identify dysfunctional leisure activity patterns, specifically those activity patterns associated with high levels of alcohol consumption. The initial developmental work on the LAP is described in this article. The LAP includes a list of 38 activities, half of which were selected for their association with alcohol consumption. Respondents indicate the activities in which they participate, and the level of alcohol consumption with each activity. Respondents also indicate if they complete the activity alone or with close friends or relatives. The LAP should prove useful to occupational therapists who treat persons with alcoholism, both in identifying dysfunctional leisure activity patterns and in developing and measuring treatment approaches.