Elevated left mid-frontal cortical activity prospectively predicts conversion to bipolar I disorder

Bipolar disorder is characterized by a hypersensitivity to reward-relevant cues and a propensity to experience an excessive increase in approach-related affect, which may be reflected in hypo/manic symptoms. The present study examined the relationship between relative left-frontal electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, a proposed neurophysiological index of approach-system sensitivity and approach/reward-related affect, and bipolar course and state-related variables. Fifty-eight individuals with cyclothymia or bipolar II disorder and 59 healthy control participants with no affective psychopathology completed resting EEG recordings. Alpha power was obtained and asymmetry indices computed for homologous electrodes. Bipolar spectrum participants were classified as being in a major/minor depressive episode, a hypomanic episode, or a euthymic/remitted state at EEG recording. Participants were then followed prospectively for an average 4.7-year follow-up period with diagnostic interview assessments every 4 months. Sixteen bipolar spectrum participants converted to bipolar I disorder during follow-up. Consistent with hypotheses, elevated relative left-frontal EEG activity at baseline (a) prospectively predicted a greater likelihood of converting from cyclothymia or bipolar II disorder to bipolar I disorder over the 4.7-year follow-up period, (b) was associated with an earlier age-of-onset of first bipolar spectrum episode, and (c) was significantly elevated in bipolar spectrum individuals in a hypomanic episode at EEG recording. This is the first study to our knowledge to identify a neurophysiological marker that prospectively predicts conversion to bipolar I disorder. The fact that unipolar depression is characterized by decreased relative left-frontal EEG activity suggests that unipolar depression and vulnerability to hypo/mania may be characterized by different profiles of frontal EEG asymmetry. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

What limits tool use in nonhuman primates? Insights from tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) aligning three-dimensional objects to a surface

Perceptuomotor functions that support using hand tools can be examined in other manipulation tasks, such as alignment of objects to surfaces. We examined tufted capuchin monkeys’ and chimpanzees’ performance at aligning objects to surfaces while managing one or two spatial relations to do so. We presented six subjects of each species with a single stick to place into a groove, two sticks of equal length to place into two grooves, or two sticks joined as a T to place into a T-shaped groove. Tufted capuchins and chimpanzees performed equivalently on these tasks, aligning the straight stick to within 22.5° of parallel to the groove in approximately half of their attempts to place it, and taking more attempts to place the T stick than two straight sticks. The findings provide strong evidence that tufted capuchins and chimpanzees do not reliably align even one prominent axial feature of an object to a surface, and that managing two concurrent allocentric spatial relations in an alignment problem is significantly more challenging to them than managing two sequential relations. In contrast, humans from 2 years of age display very different perceptuomotor abilities in a similar task: they align sticks to a groove reliably on each attempt, and they readily manage two allocentric spatial relations concurrently. Limitations in aligning objects and in managing two or more relations at a time significantly constrain how nonhuman primates can use hand tools.     

Inspired by Hope,Motivated by Envy: Comparing the Effects of Discrete Emotions in the Process of Social Comparison to Media Figures

Despite considerable research and theorizing regarding the process of social comparison, limited attention has been given to the role of discrete emotions in this context, particularly as they may influence the behavioral responses resulting from comparison to similar others. In the context of cosmetic surgery makeover programs, we explore how discrete emotions may mediate the effects of social comparison on behavior and how different emotions, envy and hope in particular, may differentially relate to behavioral motivation. Based on the survey responses of 236 female students, results suggest that social comparison to media figures correlates with a range of emotional responses as well as with behavioral motivation for invasive cosmetic enhancements. Envy maintained a significantly greater association with behavioral motivation than hope or any other emotional response. Further, mediational analyses were consistent with the argument that envy, but not hope, mediates the social comparison–behavioral motivation relationship. The relationship between character identification and social comparison, as well as processes associated with downward social comparison, are also explored. This research helps illuminate the driving mechanism for social comparison's effects on behavior and has implications for better understanding how media exposure may stimulate this process.     

Methods Used to Document Procedural Fidelity in School-Based Intervention Research

There has been a paucity of guidance on the methodological details needed for measuring and sampling the independent variable or actual intervention occurrences in research and practice. Furthermore, the planning and support necessary to document the independent variable in both circumstances may be considerable. The current study extends prior research by reviewing the methods used to document procedural fidelity in school-based intervention research with student participants published between 2005 and 2012 in journals known for publishing school-related intervention studies. Two hundred sixty-six articles met the inclusion criteria and the majority (70 %) used fidelity data in the analysis of intervention effectiveness. By systematically examining contributions of school-based intervention researchers across targeted variables as well as qualities of interventions and settings, suggestions can be made for (a) planning measurement of fidelity across phases of the intervention, (b) sampling fidelity occurrences, (c) preventing intervention failure by providing needed supports, and (d) responding to patterns of fidelity required for intervention and outcome measurement in both research and practice.     

Parental Problem-Solving Abilities and the Association of Sickle Cell Disease Complications with Health-Related Quality of Life for School-Age Children

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The current analysis sought to explore parent problem-solving abilities/skills as a moderator between SCD complications and HRQOL to evaluate applicability to pediatric SCD. At baseline, 83 children ages 6–12 years and their primary caregiver completed measures of child HRQOL. Primary caregivers also completed a measure of social problem-solving. A SCD complications score was computed from medical record review. Parent problem-solving abilities significantly moderated the association of SCD complications with child self-report psychosocial HRQOL (p = .006). SCD complications had a direct effect on parent proxy physical and psychosocial child HRQOL. Enhancing parent problem-solving abilities may be one approach to improve HRQOL for children with high SCD complications; however, modification of parent perceptions of HRQOL may require direct intervention to improve knowledge and skills involved in disease management.     

Growing Up Wired: Social Networking Sites and Adolescent Psychosocial Development

Since the advent of social networking site (SNS) technologies, adolescents’ use of these technologies has expanded and is now a primary way of communicating with and acquiring information about others in their social network. Overall, adolescents and young adults’ stated motivations for using SNSs are quite similar to more traditional forms of communication—to stay in touch with friends, make plans, get to know people better, and present oneself to others. We begin with a summary of theories that describe the role of SNSs in adolescents’ interpersonal relationships, as well as common methodologies used in this field of research thus far. Then, with the social changes that occur throughout adolescence as a backdrop, we address the ways in which SNSs intersect with key tasks of adolescent psychosocial development, specifically peer affiliation and friendship quality, as well as identity development. Evidence suggests that SNSs differentially relate to adolescents’ social connectivity and identity development, with sociability, self-esteem, and nature of SNS feedback as important potential moderators. We synthesize current findings, highlight unanswered questions, and recommend both methodological and theoretical directions for future research.     

Authoritarianism,Cognitive Rigidity,and the Processing of Ambiguous Visual Information

Intolerance of ambiguity and cognitive rigidity are unifying aspects of authoritarianism as defined by Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik, Levinson, and Sanford (1982/1950), who hypothesized that authoritarians view the world in absolute terms (e.g., good or evil). Past studies have documented the relationship between authoritarianism and intolerance of ambiguity and rigidity. Frenkel-Brunswik (1949) hypothesized that this desire for absolutism was rooted in perceptual processes. We present a study with three samples that directly tests the relationship between right wing authoritarianism (RWA) and the processing of ideologically neutral but ambiguous visual stimuli. As hypothesized, in all three samples we found that RWA was related to the slower processing of visual information that required participants to recategorize objects. In a fourth sample, RWA was unrelated to speed of processing visual information that did not require recategorization. Overall, results suggest a relationship between RWA and rigidity in categorization.     

Establishing the Validity of the Spirituality in Clinical Training Scale: Measuring the Level of Integration of Spirituality and Religion in Family Therapy Training

The existing literature suggests that family therapy training programs are not adequately preparing students to address spiritual and/or religious beliefs as a resource for change in therapy. Therefore, this study sought to validate the Spirituality in Clinical Training Scale (SCTS) as a measure of the level of integration of spirituality and/or religion in family therapy training. Additionally, this study examined the latent associations among the subscales of the SCTS and measures of personal importance of spirituality, spiritual clinical competence, and spiritual self-exploration. Finally, given that the type of educational institution (i.e., religious compared to non-religious schools) may influence the extent to which spirituality is addressed in training, this study examined whether attending a religious or non-religious institution moderated the associations among the SCTS and constructs used to assess validity. A sample of 341 master’s and doctoral family therapy students completed an on-line survey for this study. The results suggest that the SCTS is a reliable and valid measure for assessing integration of spirituality into family therapy training. The establishment of this measure is important given that no previous scale measuring the integration of spirituality into therapy training exists. The results also suggest that spiritual self-exploration is associated with increased use of interventions that integrate spirituality into therapy. Implications for clinical training are discussed.     

Associations among depressive symptoms,well-being,patient involvement,provider cultural competency,and treatment nonadherence: An exploratory study among university student-patients

Many students on US university campuses are underserved and undertreated for common mental health and medical conditions. The limited extent to which university students seek psychological and medical care when they need it has long been a problem. Among those who do seek care, treatment adherence appears to be an issue as well. However, few studies have examined factors that may be related to treatment nonadherence in university student-patients. The present survey study examined often-understudied constructs (i.e. patient involvement, treatment nonadherence, and provider cultural competency) in 243 university student-patients. Specifically, using a correlational research design, we examined the relations among depressive symptoms, well-being, patient involvement, cultural competency, and treatment nonadherence. Using multiple linear regression analysis, we also explored the extent to which the exploratory variables predicted treatment nonadherence separately and jointly. The current study revealed two important findings. First, all four factors – depressive symptoms, well-being, patient involvement, and cultural competency – were related to nonadherence to treatment. Second, depressive symptoms and patient involvement explained unique variance in nonadherence to treatment. The findings suggest that increased awareness of and attention to depressive symptoms and patient involvement may have important relevance for engendering healthy campuses and for reducing nonadherence in student-patients. Implications and directions for future research are proffered.     

Effects of the Copy-Cover-Compare Strategy on Acquisition,Maintenance, and Generalization of Spelling Sight Words for Elementary Students With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often struggle with spelling. Research shows this population benefits from self-management interventions, structured practice opportunities, and immediate feedback—all components of the copy-cover-compare strategy. This empirical investigation used a multiple-baseline experimental design to determine the effects of the copy-cover-compare strategy on acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of spelling words for four students with ADHD in Grades 1 through 3. Results showed a functional relation between copy-cover-compare and mastery, maintenance, and generalization of three sets of spelling words for each student. Limitations, implications for practice, and suggestions for future research are discussed.