Self-regulation and inhibition in comorbid ADHD children: an evaluation of executive functions

The relationship between executive function and comorbid diagnoses in ADHD children is examined. One hundred six children between 7 and 15 years of age are assessed using the Tower of London (TOL), a test of executive function, and the Kiddie Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Present and Lifetime Version, a diagnostic interview. All children met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. A majority of the children had comorbid anxiety disorders, mood disorders, or oppositional defiant disorder. Measures on the TOL are total move score, total initiation time, and total rule violations. Age is predictive in all three measures of executive function as assessed by the TOL. Gender is predictive of total initiation time and total rule violations. Comorbid disorders are found to not have significance on executive function as measured by the TOL. This study concludes that comorbid disorders may not affect executive function.     

Comments on Abrahamsen's (2004) "Linguistic humor comprehension in children with articulation impairments"

This commentary expresses concerns about the validity of the results of Abrahamsen's study of "Linguistic humor comprehension in children with articulation impairments" (2004). Some of the problems noted included overlapping of lexical and phonological humor categories, the nature and placement of several of the stimulus items, lack of demonstrated equivalent difficulty of the stimuli presented to each group, and limited analysis of other factors that may have affected children's responses.     

Development and validation of a modified version of the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire

This article reports results from 3 studies conducted to develop and validate a modified version of the self-administered form of the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire (PDEQ; C. R. Marmar, D. S. Weiss, & T. J. Metzler, 1997). The objective was to develop an instrument suitable for use with persons from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. In Study 1, the original PDEQ was administered to a small sample (N = 15) recruited from among men admitted to the hospital for physical injuries stemming from exposure to community violence. Results led to modifications aimed at improving the utility of the instrument. In Study 2, the modified PDEQ was subjected to structural equation modeling and item response theory analyses to assess its psychometric properties in a larger, primarily male, sample of community violence survivors (N = 284). In Study 3, the reliability and validity of the modified instrument were further assessed in a sample of female survivors of sexual assault (N = 90). Results attest to the psychometric properties as well as the reliability and validity of the modified 8-item PDEQ.     

If we had known then what we know now: a review of local and national surveys following September 11, 2001

There is little research on the consequences of large-scale violent disasters in a community despite their unfortunate prevalence over many decades. The primary source of epidemiological data for the greater New York community in dealing with the September 11, 2001, attacks was the Oklahoma City bombing. In the latter event, 45%; of directly exposed adults met criteria for a major psychiatric disorder 6 months later, including 34%; with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first survey after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, conducted within one week, revealed a remarkable degree of symptomatology across the nation in both adults and children. Forty-four percent of adults reported at least 1 of 5 PTSD screening symptoms in the 3-5 days after the attacks; 35% of parents reported children who had at least one symptom, and 47% of children worried about their own or someone else's safety. Coping behaviors were consistent with a community mental health model and included turning to open discussion (98%), religion (90%), and community activities (60%) in order to cope with their reactions. Rates of disorder were also high in a survey conducted 5-8 weeks later in Manhattan below 110th Street, with 38% saying they directly witnessed the World Trade Center attack. The current prevalence of new-onset PTSD was 7.5%, and of new-onset major depressive disorder, 9.7%. This translates into 67,000 persons with PTSD and 87,000 persons with major depression. This survey also found a significant increase in tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use, but primarily among adults already using these substances. All surveys found strong associations between media exposure and symptomatology. The greatest need at this point in the literature is therapeutics research after such traumatic events.     

Dementia with Lewy bodies: a pure case

A pure case of autopsy-confirmed dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is described. The patient presented with distinctive verbal fluency deficits in the context of mild language impairment, intact recognition memory, and impaired paragraph recall. Neuroimaging (CT and SPECT) showed progressive medial temporal lobe atrophy. Neuropathology revealed Lewy bodies, degeneration in the substantia nigra, nucleus basalis of Meynert (Nakano & Hirano, 1984), and locus ceruleus, but no pathology characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. It is in this sense that the case is "pure" DLB. Early neuropsychological diagnosis of DLB is essential (Salmon et al., 1996) given the potentially fatal hazard of neuroleptics (McKeith et al., 1992) and the difficulties associated with clinical neurological diagnoses (Litvan et al., 1998).     

Development and validation of the Moral Outcomes of Relationship Aggression Scale: A measure of moral distress following intimate partner violence perpetration

Research with military veterans has established that distress may arise in response to perpetrating violent behaviors that violate individuals' moral beliefs. To date, no studies have similarly examined morally-related cognitive and emotional responses specifically among intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators. However, research on moral cognitions and emotions in response to IPV perpetration may inform understanding of the behavior and potential mechanisms for intervention. In the current series of four studies, we used classical test theory to develop a measure of moral distress following IPV perpetration that focuses on thoughts about the actions (assimilated cognitions), thoughts about the self due to one's actions (accommodated cognitions), and emotions experienced due to one's actions (moral emotions). Items were developed and tested among two samples of undergraduate students, and psychometric properties of the final measure were confirmed among two community samples. The final measure consists of three subscales consisting of five items each. Results demonstrate support for internal consistency and test–retest reliability, convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity, and factor structure. This measure can be used in future research designed to examine how individuals respond to their IPV perpetration, and to study the implications this may have for long-term outcomes and behavioral change.     

Intrinsicality and Grounding

A number of philosophers have recently claimed that intrinsicality can be analysed in terms of the metaphysical notion of grounding. Since grounding is a hyperintensional notion, accounts of intrinsicality in terms of grounding, unlike most other accounts, promise to be able to discriminate between necessarily coextensive properties that differ in whether they are intrinsic. They therefore promise to be compatible with popular metaphysical theories that posit necessary entities and necessary connections between wholly distinct entities, on which it is plausible that there are such properties. This paper argues that this promise is illusory. It is not possible to give an analysis of intrinsicality in terms of grounding that is consistent with these theories. Given an adequate analysis should be compatible with these theories, it follows that it is not possible to analyse intrinsicality in terms of grounding.