Maternal Care and Individual Differences in Defensive Responses

Abstract— Familial transmission of mental illness is common. Recent studies in behavioral neuroscience and biological psychiatry reveal the importance of epigenetic mechanisms of transmission that center on the developmental consequences of variations in parental care. Studies with rats suggest that environmental adversity results in patterns of parent–offspring interactions that increase stress reactivity through sustained effects on gene expression in brain regions known to regulate behavioral, endocrine, and autonomic responses to stress. While such effects might be adaptive, the associated cost involves an increased risk for stress-related illness.     

Collateral benefits of the Family Check-Up on early childhood school readiness: indirect effects of parents' positive behavior support

The authors examined the longitudinal effects of the Family Check-Up (FCU) on parents' positive behavior support and children's school readiness competencies in early childhood. It was hypothesized that the FCU would promote language skills and inhibitory control in children at risk for behavior problems as an indirect outcome associated with targeted improvements in parents' positive behavior support. High-risk families in the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program participated in a multisite preventive intervention study (N = 731) with 3 yearly assessments beginning at child age 2 years. Positive behavior support was measured using 4 indicators derived from at-home observations of parent-child interaction during semistructured tasks. Longitudinal structural equation models revealed that parents in families randomly assigned to the FCU showed improvements in positive behavior support from child age 2 to 3, which in turn promoted children's inhibitory control and language development from age 3 to 4, accounting for child gender, ethnicity, and parental education. Findings suggest that a brief, ecological preventive intervention supporting positive parenting practices can indirectly foster key facets of school readiness in children at risk.     

Differentiating psychotic patients from nonpsychotic patients with the MMPI-2 and Rorschach

The goal of this study was to examine the incremental validity and the clinical utility of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2; (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) and Rorschach (Rorschach, 1942) with regard to differential diagnosis in a sample of adult inpatients with a primary psychotic disorder or a primary mood disorder without psychotic features. Diagnostic efficiency statistics have suggested that the Rorschach Perceptual Thinking Index (PTI; Exner, 2000a, 2000b) was better than MMPI-2 scales in discriminating psychotic patients from nonpsychotic patients. We compared the 84% overall correct classification rate (OCC) for the PTI to an OCC of 70% for the MMPI-2 scales. Adding the MMPI-2 scales to the PTI resulted in a decrease in OCC of 1%, whereas adding the PTI to the MMPI-2 resulted in an increase in OCC of 14%. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power, negative predictive power, and kappa were equal or higher with only the PTI in the model.     

Counselling Australian baby boomers: examining the loss and grief issues facing aging distance-separated sibling dyads

It has long been recognised that mature-aged sibling dyads provide each other with emotional support. What has yet to be determined is whether this support function is maintained within the baby boomer generational cohort of sibling dyads who through economic relocation/migration have become separated by distance. As such, this paper highlights the need for research to be conducted into the experiences of baby boomers dealing with sibling loss and grief-related issues without the support of their nuclear and extended family members.     

The roles of the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in a spatial paired-association task

Although the roles of both the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) have been suggested in a spatial paired-associate memory task, both areas were investigated separately in prior studies. The current study investigated the relative contributions of the hippocampus and mPFC to spatial paired-associate learning within a single behavioral paradigm. In a novel behavioral task, a pair of different objects appeared repeatedly across trials, but in different arms in a radial maze, and different rules were associated with those arms for reward. Specifically, in an "object-in-place" arm, the rat was required to choose a particular object associated with the arm. In a "location-in-place" arm, the animal was required to choose a certain within-arm location (ignoring the object occupying the location). Compared to normal animals, rats with ibotenic acid-based lesions in the hippocampus showed an irrecoverable impairment in performance in both object-in-place and location-in-place arms. When the mPFC was inactivated by muscimol (GABA(A) receptor agonist) in the normal animals with intact hippocampi, they showed the same severe impairment as seen in the hippocampal lesioned rats only in object-in-place arms. The results confirm that the hippocampus is necessary for a biconditional paired-associate task when space is a critical component. The mPFC, however, is more selectively involved in the object-place paired-associate task than in the location-place paired-associate task. The current task powerfully demonstrates an experimental situation in which both the hippocampus and mPFC are required and may serve as a useful paradigm for investigating the neural mechanisms of object-place association.     

Personality disorder cognitions in the eating disorders

The eating disorders are frequently found to be comorbid with Axis II cluster B and C personality disorders. It is important to identify the personality-level cognitions that typify these disorders. This study of a clinical group examines the personality disorder cognitions in the eating disorders. The cognitions that were most relevant to the eating disorder pathology were those relating to avoidant and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Other personality disorder cognitions were associated with comorbid psychopathology in largely clinically meaningful ways. These findings extend our understanding of the comorbidity of eating disorders and personality pathology, suggesting that some cases need to be assessed and formulated with such cognitions in mind. Treatment strategies are required that address both the eating and the personality pathology, while considering the impact of these cognitions on the therapeutic relationship.     

Randomized prevention trial for early conduct problems: effects on proactive parenting and links to toddler disruptive behavior.

Despite knowledge of early pathways to conduct problems, few preventive interventions are specifically designed to modify disruptive behavior in toddlerhood. One potential prevention target is proactive and positive parenting, which is associated with reduced risk of conduct problems in preschoolers. This randomized trial with 120 low-income 2-year-old boys examined whether a brief family-centered intervention that reduces disruptive behavior (D. Shaw, T. Dishion, L. Supplee, F. Gardner, & K. Arnds, 2006) also leads to increases in proactive and positive parenting. It also explored whether change in parenting predicts change in disruptive behavior. In the intervention group, proactive and positive parenting skills increased among parents of 3-year-olds. Change in proactive and positive parenting of 2- to 3-year-old toddlers correlated with change in child disruptive behavior, although the mediation effect of positive parenting was of only borderline significance. Findings suggest that even within a brief and multifaceted preventive intervention, change in proactive parenting skills contributes modestly but significantly to change in child problem behavior.     

Peer crowds in a commuter college sample: the relation between self-reported alcohol use and perceived peer crowd norms

The author studied peer crowds on a college commuter campus and examined the relation between self-reported alcohol use and perceived peer crowd norms for alcohol use. College students (N = 271) completed questionnaires to determine their peer crowd affiliation and frequency and amount of alcohol use. The author assessed perceived peer-crowd affiliation norms with a series of vignettes describing the typical student that would be associated with each peer crowd. Analyses revealed identifiable peer crowds among college students that represent different patterns of alcohol use both in self-reported alcohol use among students in a peer crowd and in the perceived norms for alcohol use in each peer crowd. The author described the relation between self-reported use and the perceived use by members of one's peer crowd.