Neuropsychological Dysfunction in Children with Borderline Personality Disorder Features: A Preliminary Investigation

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is often linked to neuropsychological deficits, yet few studies have examined BPD or its features and concomitant neuropsychological dysfunction in childhood. This study examined children with borderline features (n = 21) using the Coolidge Personality and Neuropsychological Inventory for Children and compared them to controls (n = 21) with features of at least one personality disorder, but not BPD. As hypothesized, the BPD group scored significantly higher than the control group on the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Executive Functions Deficits, Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, Conduct Disorder, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder scales. It appears that behavioral disturbances associated with BPD are linked strongly with neuropsychological dysfunction. Because none of the children with BPD features in the present sample had a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), it appears likely that TBI in the histories of adult BPD patients may not be the cause of BPD, but traits such as anger and impulsivity in BPD may cause TBI. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Taxometric and factor analytic models of anxiety sensitivity among youth: exploring the latent structure of anxiety psychopathology vulnerability

This study represents an effort to better understand the latent structure of anxiety sensitivity (AS), a well-established affect-sensitivity individual difference factor, among youth by employing taxometric and factor analytic approaches in an integrative manner. Taxometric analyses indicated that AS, as indexed by the Child Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI; Silverman, Flesig, Rabian, & Peterson, 1991), demonstrates taxonic latent class structure in a large sample of youth from North America (N=4,462; M(age)=15.6 years; SD=1.3). Subsequent confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the latent continuous, multidimensional, 4-factor model of AS among youth (Silverman, Goedhart, Barrett, & Turner, 2003) provided good fit for the CASI data among the complement class ("normative form" of AS), but not among the taxon class ("high-risk form" of AS). EFAs supported the prediction that the AS taxon demonstrates a unique, heretofore unexplored latent continuous, unidimensional factor structure among youth. Findings are discussed in relation to refining our understanding of the latent structure of AS and the clinical implications that arise from it.     

Dark Side of the Mothering Role: Abuse of Mothers by Adolescent and Adult Children

Mothering is generally considered women’s major source of identity and satisfaction. But mothering can also bring misery when children develop anti-social behaviors. The rather limited literature on this topic refers to by the term “parent abuse,” with mothers reportedly the usual victims. The present study analyzed the types of abuse by adolescent and adult children reported by women in a community sample. The data come from in-depth life review interviews with 60 women aged between 40 and 65 when initially interviewed, and re-interviewed 5 years later. All women lived in the lower-income western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Two major categories of abuse were identified: acting-out (including physical attacks and threats) and psychological. Seventy percent of perpetrators were male. Mothers’ explanations for the behavior included family dysfunction, child’s personality, child’s mental illness, social and cultural influences, and gender power imbalance. Strategies used to handle the behaviors were related to these explanations. Compared to older mothers, those aged in their 40s were likely to see the problem as belonging to the child rather than themselves, and were more proficient in accessing community services.     

Turning it Upside Down: Areas of Preserved Cognitive Function in Schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia demonstrate marked impairments on most clinical neuropsychological tests. These findings suggest that patients suffer from a generalized form of cognitive impairment, with little evidence of spared performance documented in several large meta-analytic reviews of the clinical literature. In contrast, we review evidence for relative sparing of aspects of attention, procedural memory, and emotional processing observed in studies that have employed experimental approaches adapted from the cognitive and affective neuroscience literature. These islands of preserved performance suggest that the cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are not as general as they appear to be when assayed with clinical neuropsychological methods. The apparent contradiction in findings across methods may offer important clues about the nature of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. The documentation of preserved cognitive function in schizophrenia may serve to sharpen hypotheses about the biological mechanisms that are implicated in the illness.     

The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP ) and the Malleability of Ageist Attitudes

The Psychological Record - The current study examined the malleability of implicit attitudes using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). In Experiment 1, “similar” and...     

Knowledge as aptness

I raise several objections to Sosa’s account of knowledge as aptness. I argue that aptness is neither necessary nor sufficient for knowledge. I also raise some objection to Sosa’s treatment of dreaming skepticism.

Internalized Misogyny as a Moderator of the Link between Sexist Events and Women’s Psychological Distress

This study examined the relationship between internalized misogyny and two other forms of internalized sexism, self-objectification and passive acceptance of traditional gender roles. In addition, it examined the moderating role of internalized misogyny in the link between sexist events and psychological distress. Participants consisted of 274 heterosexual women who were recruited at a large southern university in the United States and completed an online survey. Results indicated that internalized misogyny was related to, but conceptually distinct from self-objectification and passive acceptance. Findings also indicated that greater experiences of sexist events were associated with higher levels of psychological distress. In addition, internalized misogyny intensified the relationship between external sexism and psychological distress.     

Diabetes, depression, and metabolic control in Latinas

Diabetes is steadily becoming an epidemic among Latinos, and depression has been found to complicate diabetes management. This study examined depressive symptoms and metabolic control in Latinas with diabetes in a community clinic setting. The association of depressive symptoms with metabolic control was supported in this study. Social support (but not acculturation) was found to be associated with depressive symptoms. Finally, age and metabolic control were related. These findings are explained in a culture-specific framework. The authors speculate that the role of the woman in Latino families makes it difficult for a Latina to attend to her own care needs until she ages.     

Why Odd Pricing?1

The practice of setting prices a few pennies or a few dollars below an even (whole) number is referred to as odd pricing. Most attempts to explain odd pricing use an argument that, in part, draws on varying degrees of consumer irrationality. In this note, a justification for odd pricing is provided that assumes rational and informed consumers and businesses. Empirical evidence is offered in support of this view.