Adolescent temperament,perceived social support,and depressive tendencies as predictors of depressive tendencies in young adulthood

A 5 year longitudinal study investigated the interrelations of temperament dimensions (negative emotionality, activity, and sociability), perceived social support (friend, significant other, and family support), and depressive tendencies. Temperament (EASTS; Buss, 1991), perceived social support (PSS‐R; Blumenthal, Burg, Barefoot, Williams, Haney and Zimet, 1987) and depressive tendencies (a modified version of the BDI) were measured by self‐reports in a randomly selected, community‐based sample of 302 adolescents at age 15, and depressive tendencies were measured again five years later at age 20. The authors hypothesized a model comprising direct as well as mediated effects between the adolescent predictor variables and depressive tendencies in young adulthood. The structural modelling analyses supported these hypotheses in part, and also indicated some qualitative sex differences. For both girls and boys, a significant direct as well as mediating role was indicated for the current level of depressive tendencies: depressive tendencies at age 15 predicted depressive tendencies at age 20, also mediating the effects of negative emotionality at age 15, and additionally mediating the effects of a low level of activity in girls and a low level of family support in boys. Furthermore, even when the prior level of depressive tendencies was controlled, direct effects were indicated in boys for a low level of sociability, and in girls for significant other support, which also mediated the effects of a low level of sociability. These results highlight the importance of the sex‐differentiated interplay of both intrapersonal and psychosocial factors in relation to depressive tendencies both during adolescence and from adolescence to young adulthood. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Family context of infantile colic

Psychological factors in families with a colicky baby were studied. A total of 59 families who had enrolled on the basis of information received at the postpartum wards in the city of Turku, Finland, were included in this study. In addition, 58 families with age-matched infants were selected as a control group. These families kept a diary of the infant's crying. Thirty-six infants fulfilled the criteria for severe colic. Twenty-three families with a baby who cried excessively but did not fulfill the criteria were defined as the moderate colic group. A semistructured family interview was carried out to assess the structure, communcation patterns, functioning, and affective tone of the families. Mothers and fathers were younger in the moderate colic group compared with parents in the other groups. In the moderate colic families, the infant was more often the first child than in the control families. On the other hand, neither the infant's gender nor the education of the parents was related to infant's crying. Organized family structure and strong parental coalition were more often present in the severe colic and control groups than in the moderate colic group. Increased family chaos was noted in this group. The severe and moderate colic families had more enmeshed individual boundaries. Generational boundaries were enmeshed in the moderate colic families. Communication patterns did not differ between the groups. The families with a severely or moderately crying baby were less flexible, had decreased ability to cope with daily activities, and showed less energy and vitality than the control families. Both the severe and moderate colic families expressed more anxiety and conflict compared to the control families. In conclusion, an association between infantile colic and psychological characteristics of the family was found. Moreover, the families with a moderately colicky infant had specific psychological features that differed from both the control families and those with severely colicky infants.     

Alexithymia in patients with major depressive disorder and comorbid cluster C personality disorders: a 6-month follow-up study.

The authors examined the association between alexithymia, cluster C personality disorders (CPD), and severity of depression among 121 outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in a 6-month, follow-up study. Diagnosis of depression and CPD was confirmed by means of the Structured Clinical Interviews for DSM-III-R (SCID I and SCID II). Alexithymia was screened using the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and severity of depression was assessed using the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory. Results indicated that alexithymic features are common in patients with MDD but often alleviated during recovery from depression. Moreover, comorbid CPD and severity of depression seemed to be associated with poorer recovery from alexithymia. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Types of aggressive behavior among aggressive-preferred, aggressive non-preferred, non-aggressive preferred and non-aggressive non-preferred 14-year-old adolescents

This study examined differences in the types of aggressive behavior among aggressive-preferred, aggressive non-preferred, non-aggressive preferred and non-aggressive non-preferred adolescents. The subjects numbered 839 14-year-old adolescents (408 girls and 431 boys). Aggressive behavior as well as social preference i.e. popularity and rejection, were assessed by peer nominations. The types of aggressive behavior measured were intriguing, arguing, fighting and bullying. The results showed that not only the level, but also the types of aggressive behavior differentiated aggressive adolescents from the non-aggressive ones, and preferred adolescents from the non-preferred ones. The aggression profile of the aggressive and rejected adolescents was characterized more by intriguing and bullying than arguing or fighting. In contrast, that of non-aggressive adolescents was dominated more by arguing and fighting than intriguing. The results pointed to a more complex relationship between aggressive behavior and social preference than the general assumption that there is a higher rate of rejection among aggressive adolescents, and a higher rate of popularity among non-aggressive ones. Significant gender differences were also found.     

Adult attachment dimensions and recollections of childhood family context: associations with dispositional optimism and pessimism

The present study tested the theoretically inferred but not yet empirically tested association between dispositional optimism–pessimism and attachment security among 423 Finnish women and men. A second‐order latent variable representing a generalized representation of attachment insecurity in close relationships that included two latent constructs, the one representing romantic adult attachment dimensions and the other representing recollections of attachment‐related childhood family relationship, was associated with greater pessimism; the adult attachment dimension of high anxiety had unique and additional explanatory power, not accounted for by the generalized representation of attachment‐related insecurity. The model explained 48% of the variance in pessimism. The results clearly emphasize that additional studies are needed to clarify the role of interpersonal processes in dispositional optimism–pessimism. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

EAS temperaments as predictors of unemployment in young adults: A 9-year follow-up of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

EAS temperament traits (negative emotionality, activity, sociability) are known to be associated with psychosocial adjustment. We examined whether these traits also predict unemployment in young adults. The participants (n = 1493–1893) were from the population based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. EAS temperaments were assessed three times during a 9-year period from 1992 to 2001. Unemployment status and duration of unemployment were assessed in 2001 when the participants were from 24- to 39 -year olds. Especially higher negative emotionality and lower activity were associated with greater likelihood of reporting unemployment at the end of the follow-up. Higher negative emotionality and lower sociability and lower activity predicted unemployment duration. These results suggest that temperament traits are associated with risk of unemployment.     

Hot flashes and panic attacks: a comparison of symptomatology, neurobiology, treatment, and a role for cognition

Despite decades of research, the causal mechanisms of hot flashes are not adequately understood, and a biopsychosocial perspective on hot flashes remains underdeveloped. This article explores overlooked parallels between hot flashes and panic attacks within 5 areas: course and symptomatology, physiological indicators, neurocircuitry and biochemical mechanisms, pharmacotherapy, and psychological treatment, noting both similarities and important differences between the 2 events. An integrative conceptual model is presented that identifies key ways in which psychological factors may influence the experience of hot flashes, with clinical implications and areas of future research. This model yields readily testable hypotheses and may provide a template for exploring the role of cognition in the frequency and severity of hot flashes and, in turn, a basis for the development of nonpharmacological treatments.     

Impulsivity as a predictor of newly diagnosed depression

Depression is a severe mental disorder, whose onset has been related to environmental, genetic and personality factors. This study examined the association between impulsivity and incidence of depression. Logistic regression models were related to prospective data from two surveys (2-year time lag) conducted in a large cohort of hospital employees (N= 4,505). Only respondents with no history of depression at baseline were included. Impulsivity was predictive of the onset of depression (OR = 1.95, CI 95%= 1.28-2.97) after adjustment for age, sex and education. This association remained statistically significant after additional adjustment for a variety of baseline characteristics, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and size of social network. A measure of mental distress (GHQ-12 responses), which may serve as a proxy measure for undiagnosed depression, was also associated with impulsivity. Impulsivity appears to be a distinct personality factor that may contribute to the onset of depressive illness in adults.     

Relationships between hostility, affective ratings of pictures, and state affects during task-induced stress

The authors examined the relationship of hostility with (a) affective ratings of pictures and (b) state affects evoked by task-induced stress in 95 healthy men and women 22-37 years of age. Pictures were from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS; P. J. Lang, M. M. Bradley, & B. N. Cuthbert, 1999). Stressors included a startle task, mental arithmetic task, and choice-deadline reaction time task. The circumplex model of affect was used to structure the self-reported state affects. The authors found that hostility was associated with displeasure, high arousal, and low dominance ratings of IAPS pictures. Hostility was related to unpleasant affect and unactivated unpleasant affect during the experiment, and subscale paranoia was related to activated unpleasant affect. Findings suggest that participants scoring high on hostility are prone to negative emotional reactions.